Flag of the City of Des Moines

The Flag of Des Moines, Iowa was designed by Walter T. Proctor. Set on a blue background is a red vertical stripe along the hoist with the right side of the stripe angling inward toward the hoist and a white balance of three horizontal "bridges." Des Moines skyline Des Moines (pronounced in English, in French) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Iowa. ...

Symbolissm

Red stripe

Although there is no documented symbolism for the red stripe, it's creator indicated that the selection of the colors red, white and blue were to mirror the color scheme of the flag of the United States of America. Flag ratio: 10:19; nicknames: Stars and Stripes, Old Glory The flag of the United States consists of 13 equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white; there is a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing 50 small, white, five-pointed stars arranged in...

White bridges

The three white "bridges" across the flag symbolize the Grand, Locust, and Walnut Street bridges at the Des Moines River. Des Moines River - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ...

Blue background

In the same pane of the flag as the bridges, the blue background symbolizes the water of the Des Moines River.

History

In 1974, the Des Moines City Council had an open submission of proposed City Flag designs. When Walter T. Proctor's design was adopted by the City Council on April 15, 1974, he formalized the importance of the Des Moines River Walnut, Locust, and Grand Street bridges to the City. The flag depicts the, in Proctor's words, "modern bridges" that connect the east and west sides of the City across a key geograpical landmark in Des Moines: Des Moines River. 1974 (MCMLXXIV) is a common year starting on Tuesday (click on link for calendar). ... April 15 is the 105th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (106th in leap years). ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) is a common year starting on Tuesday (click on link for calendar). ... Des Moines River - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ...

About the river and bridges

The river flows north/south along the east side of downtown is the center of city services (City hall, armory, library, police station). Des Moines is again developing community attractions around the River by building a multi-million dollar urban riverwalk along the River (largely funded by Principal Financial Group). However, without the unity these bridges create running across this dividing the city in half, Proctor believes the City would be divided by the River. In small towns, the town hall may also incorporate other functions, such as a post office. ... An armory is a military depot used for the storage of weapons and ammunition. ... Modern-style library In the traditional sense of the word, a library is a collection of books and periodicals. ... A typical suburban police station in the United States (this one is in San Bruno, California). ... Principal Financial Group (NYSE: PFG) is a publicly-traded corporation based in Des Moines, Iowa. ...

References

Proctor, Walter T (2004). City of Des Moines Website: Walter T. Proctor and the City of Des Moines Flag Design. Retrieved Nov. 18, 2005.

City of Des Moines Action Center (2004). City of Des Moines Website: City of Des Moines Flag. Retrieved Nov. 18, 2005