The flag of Spokane, Washington, is the official municipal flag of Spokane, Washington, United States. Its design comprises a sun in the canton on a white-and-green field separated by a stylized blue river. The flag was adopted in 2021 and is the fourth to be used by the city government.
Spokane's first city flag, a navy blue field with a white stripe, was adopted in 1912 following a public contest with more than 500 entries. It was replaced in 1958 with a new lilac flag designed by a local businessman. A third flag was adopted in October 1975, shortly after Spokane hosted the World's Fair and was named an All-American City; its design included a simple black ring and two bands of chartreuse green and aqua blue running diagonally across a white field. The third flag was rarely used and was replaced in 2021 following a public contest and vote overseen by a city-appointed flag commission.
Design
The Spokane flag comprises a split field of white and green, the latter representing the land, separated by a series of blue lines that reference the Spokane River and Spokane Falls. A stylized yellow sun sits in the canton to represent the city's name, originally sp̓q̓n̓iʔ in the Salish language (meaning "sun"), and the indigenous Spokane people. The flag was designed by graphic designer Derek Landers, initially for a 2019 contest hosted by the Inlander, and omitted visible landmarks due to his personal preference for a simple and versatile design.
History
First flag: 1912–1958
Spokane's first city flag was created through a public contest held by the Spokane Ad Club in July 1912, following the creation of a flag commission by the city government. The contest was opened to residents of Spokane and the Inland Empire and offered a $25 prize for the winning design. More than 500 entries were submitted during the month-long contest, including drawings, sewn flags, and pennants. Ad Club president R. E. Bigelow had desired a rectangular design that would complement the national flag's shape and colors, but said that any design would be accepted for consideration by the judges.
The winning entry, designed by Spokane residents W. J. Kommers, J. Frank Robbins, and Mrs. Herman Peterson, was unveiled on August 1, 1912. It consisted of a navy blue field with a white stripe that splits into a triangle at the left side, where a sixteen-pointed sun with a blue "S" was placed. The first flag was produced by John Graham & Company and displayed at the 1912 Interstate Fair. The flag was used unofficially by the Ad Club to represent Spokane at national conventions and for viewings by other cities interested in designing their own flags, including Chicago. It was officially adopted by the city government in 1915, following a lobbying campaign by the Ad Club. The last remaining reproduction of the city flag is stored in the collections of the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture.
Second flag: 1958–1975
A new city flag was proposed in 1958 by local businessman S. Luther Essick, who also served as president of the Spokane chamber of commerce and the Lilac Festival Association. Essick was inspired during his work in Vienna after World War II, where he saw citizens using their city flag as a source of civic pride. His design was adopted by the city council on July 25, 1958, to celebrate the Lilac Festival, and installed at the city hall on September 9. The first flag was later donated to the Expo '74 organizing committee in 1974 after being used as part of the World's Fair ceremonies.
The second city flag consisted of a lilac purple field with four white lines extending from the corners towards the center, where several images were displayed. The center's design included the city skyline, the Monroe Street Bridge above Spokane Falls, and a spray of lilac blossoms. The outline of Mount Spokane sits above the center skyline and below a yellow sun, referencing the city's namesake, the Spokane people. An evergreen tree in blue sits to the left side and a five-pointed star sits opposite to the right. The text "Spokane" is written below in stylized script between two sections of an arrow.