On June 14, 1777, the Second Continental Congress adopted a resolution authorizing the design of the new country’s flag. That resolution read: “Resolved: That the flag of the United States be 13 stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be 13 stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation.”
That flag was used until 1792, when Vermont and Kentucky joined the Union. The 1792 version had fifteen stripes, as well as 15 stars.
It quickly became clear that the design would become overcrowded with stripes as more states were added. So, in 1818, Congress decided that while a star would be added for each new state, the number of stripes would remain at 13.
From that point on, whenever a new state was admitted, a new star would be added and the updated flag would first be flown on the following July 4.
As the West was settled, new states were added quickly. Texas joined in 1845. Over the next thirty years, the number of states jumped from 28 to 38 and more were on the way.
On this date in 1889, flag manufacturers were aware that a new state was about to join the Union, and they were already working to create the next version of the flag. It would need to be ready by July 4, 1890, when the new flag would be raised for the first time.
Of course, it all depended on how many states were admitted before that date. Some manufacturers decided to wait and see. Others placed their bets, assuming that Dakota would enter as a single state and began producing flags with 39 stars.
Unfortunately for them, Dakota didn’t come in as one state. North and South Dakota were admitted as the thirty-ninth and fortieth states. President Benjamin Harrison, to avoid stirring rivalry, was careful to conceal which one had been admitted first.
Montana, Washington, and Idaho would also be admitted before the next July 4, meaning the official flag would carry 43 stars.
The thirty-nine-star flag was never an official U.S. flag. But a few of them survive today as historical curiosities. One is on display at the Latah Historical Society in Moscow, Idaho.
Dakota Datebook written by Dr. Carole Butcher
Sources:
- Hanover Flag Company. “Historical Info.” https://hanoverflags.com/historical-info/ Accessed 7/25/2025.
- Lahah Historical Society. “Artifact Spotlight: The Unofficial 39 Star Flag.” https://www.latahcountyhistoricalsociety.org/post/artifact-spotlight-the-unofficial-39-star-flag Accessed 7/25/2025.
