Flags Over Grant County

The Chronicles Of Grant County

The American flag with 50 stars was first officially raised on July 4, 1960. (The photograph was provided courtesy of Elizabeth Budd through Pixabay, May 30, 2016.)

Today, Americans celebrate Flag Day.

People who have lived within Grant County, like those who have resided in many other communities throughout the United States, have actually lived under several flags of different nations through the centuries.

The Apache, among the people who initially lived in what is now Grant County, did not have a flag to designate their nation.

When Spain controlled the region that includes today's Grant County, it was the flag of that European country that flew over areas of what is now the U S, Mexico, and other nations in this hemisphere.

As Mexico became independent from Spain in 1821, it was the flag of that new nation that flew over the lands that are included within the boundaries of Grant County. In the initial years of its independence, Mexico was a monarchy ruled by an emperor. After a few years, the country became a republic. Different flags were utilized by this nation while it controlled the area now included in Grant County.

In early 1848, as a result of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo that ended the Mexican War, much of the territory of today's Grant County became part of the U S. New Mexico – including portions of what eventually would be parts of four separate states – was then organized as a territory within the U S. (The four states were Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, and New Mexico.) At that time, the American flag had 29 stars; it would gain an extra star after Wisconsin was admitted as a state in mid-1848.

The remainder of today's Grant County became part of the U S in 1853 through the Gadsden Purchase when the U S acquired additional territory from Mexico. The American flag that flew at that time had 31 stars; California had been admitted as a state in 1850.

During parts of 1861 and 1862, this section of the New Mexico Territory of the United States of America become part of the Arizona Territory of the Confederate States of America (CSA). It was then that the flag of the CSA flew over the southern sections of what are today Arizona and New Mexico. Officially, the CSA continued to recognize this area as part of its Arizona Territory through the end of the American Civil War in 1865. The U S, though, still considered this ground to be part of its New Mexico Territory.

In 1912, New Mexico became the 47th state of the U S. According to several sources, there never actually was an American flag with 47 stars. Instead, the new flag officially designated in 1912 had 48 stars in recognition of both New Mexico and Arizona both becoming state in that year.

In addition to these national flags, a number of state and territorial flags of Mexico and the U S flew over the lands now included within the boundaries of Grant County.

One of the early flags used by Spain in its territories, including lands now included in Grant County.

"Major General Floyd Parks (left) presents the United States Flag of Liberation to President Harry Truman (right)," according to the National Park Service. "This flag flew over all the conquered capitols of the Axis powers." This flag included 48 stars for the 48 states at the time of the photo. (The photograph was part of the "President's Trip to Potsdam" album and was provided courtesy of the National Park Service, July of 1945.)

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Contact Richard McDonough at chroniclesofgrantcounty@mail.com.

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