As with Betsy Ross and the American flag, a woman figures prominently in the design of the Oklahoma state flag.

The first Oklahoma state flag, adopted in 1911, had a red field featuring a white star edged in blue. Displayed in the center of the star was the number 46, signifying Oklahoma's entry into the Union as the 46th state. The red, white and blue motif mimicked the colors of Old Glory but, it's said that the prominence of the red field began to distress some people who associated the color with the rise of Communism after the fall of empirical Russia.

So, it was decided that a new flag should be adopted which would better represent the state and its diversity of cultures. In 1924, a contest to find a new design for the Oklahoma state flag was announced and Ponca City resident, Louise Fluke, entered. Her design, rich in the symbols of Oklahoma's distinct history and its native peoples, was officially adopted by the State Legislature on April 2, 1925.

Mrs. Fluke's design, essentially the same as today's state flag, honors more than 60 groups of Native Americans. It features an Osage warrior's shield decorated with six eagle feathers and six white "stars" or crosses which symbolize the state’s highest ideals. The shield is centered on a field of blue, a color borrowed from the blue flag that Choctaw soldiers carried during the Civil War. Superimposed over the shield are the ceremonial peace pipe and olive branch, which symbolize the peace and harmony achieved by Native Americans and European-American settlers when Indian and Oklahoma Territories were united in 1907 to form the state.