Official and Traditional Colors of Oregon

ORS § 186.010 states in full: '(1) A state flag is adopted to be used on all occasions when the state is officially and publicly represented... It shall bear on one side on a navy blue field the state escutcheon in gold, supported by 33 gold stars and bearing above the escutcheon the words State of Oregon in gold and below the escutcheon the figures 1859 in gold, and on the other side on a navy blue field a representation of the beaver in gold. (2) The official colors of the State of Oregon are navy blue and gold.' The statute's simultaneous description of the flag and designation of state colors in a single section makes the direct connection between the flag's visual identity and the official color designation explicit in law.

Oregon's two-sided flag is the only one of its kind among U.S. state flags. Paraguay is the only country with a similarly two-sided national flag, making Oregon's design extremely rare in vexillological history. The beaver on the reverse was chosen to honor the fur trade that drove European exploration of the Oregon Country in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The Hudson's Bay Company and the North West Company both established posts in the Oregon Territory, and beaver pelts were among the most valuable commodities of the era, earning Oregon its enduring nickname 'The Beaver State.' In the 2001 NAVA flag survey, the Oregon flag was ranked 62nd out of 72 — a ranking that has spurred ongoing discussions about Oregon potentially redesigning its flag.

Navy blue's association with Oregon runs through the state's defining natural features. The Columbia River, which forms much of Oregon's northern border, is the fourth-largest river in the United States by discharge and was the primary route for the Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1804-1806, which opened Oregon's interior to American awareness. The Snake River canyon in eastern Oregon contains Hells Canyon — the deepest river gorge in North America at 7,993 feet. The Crater Lake caldera, at 1,943 feet the deepest lake in the United States, is one of the most intensely navy-blue bodies of water in the world. Oregon's navy blue connects the official color palette to this extraordinary water heritage.

Gold's presence in Oregon's official colors reaches back to the era of the mountain men and fur traders who first explored the territory in the 1810s-1840s. The beaver trade attracted trappers from American and Canadian fur companies who criss-crossed Oregon's river systems in pursuit of beaver pelts — then commanding the highest prices in European fashion markets for their use in felt hats. Gold also references Oregon's agricultural wealth: the Willamette Valley produces hazelnuts, grass seed, Christmas trees, wine grapes, and more than 170 other commercial crops, making it one of the most productive agricultural regions per acre in North America. Oregon has been the nation's leading hazelnut producer since the early 20th century; compare the Oregon beaver symbol page.