We're far, far away from Scotland, but Colorado has a state tartan.
It may just seem like plaid fabric, but only patterns that identify a community can be called tartans. Colorado’s multicolored tartan symbolizes the state’s natural beauty and history. There’s crisp blue for our famously clear skies. Green for our forests. Lavender and white are colors seen in the state flower, the columbine – and in granite mountain peaks, capped with snow. A touch of gold in the pattern signifies the state’s mineral wealth, and there’s red, for our sandstone soil.
In 1997 the Colorado General Assembly adopted this pattern to be worn by any resident or friend of the state whether they have Celtic heritage or not. I’m Gillian Faith, a proud Scot and Coloradan, and this is a Colorado Postcard from Colorado Public Radio.
About Colorado Postcards
Colorado Postcards are snapshots of our colorful state in sound. They give brief insights into our people and places, our flora and fauna, and our past and present, from every corner of Colorado.
