The Alaska State Museum January 2025 Artifact of the Month (Object ID: III-O-354) is an engraved pocket watch awarded to Benny Benson for his winning flag design for Alaska.
The inscription on the watch reads: "Awarded 1927 to Benny Benson Seward Alaska as First Prize in American Legion Alaska Flag design contest whose design was adopted by Alaska as its official flag."
The American Legion organized a flag design competition between 1926 and 1927, open to schoolchildren in Alaska in grades 7-12. The contest attracted a total of 142 entries from across Alaska.
Fourteen-year-old Benny Benson submitted this description with his flag entry: “The blue field is for the Alaska sky and the forget me not, an Alaskan flower. The North Star is for the future state of Alaska, the most northerly in the union. The Dipper is for the Great Bear-symbolizing strength.”
Benson was a student at the Jessie Lee Mission Home located in Seward at the time. Born on September 12, 1912 in Chignik, Alaska, Benson was of Qawalangin (Fox Islander) Unangan descent. At the age of three, following the death of his mother, his father placed him and his brother Carl in an orphanage, as he was unable to care for them. Benson spent his formative years at the Jesse Lee Home for Children in Unalaska and subsequently in Seward.
After the American Legion chose Benson’s design and recommended that it be adopted as the Territorial Flag of Alaska, the Territorial Legislature unanimously passed a resolution to adopt it.
Along with the engraved timepiece, the legislature awarded Benson with a $1,000 prize to facilitate a trip to Washington, D.C., where he was to present the flag to President Calvin Coolidge. However, due to scheduling conflicts, this presentation did not occur. and the funds were instead allocated for Benson's future educational pursuits. The flag was officially dedicated on July 8, 1927, at the Jessie Lee Mission Home, where Benson was honored with his first-place watch.
Benny Benson holding the first official Alaska flag based on his design. You can see this flag and Benny’s watch at the Alaska State Museum. ASL-Benson-Benny-1. ASL-PO1-1921.
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