• Year First Flown: 1905
• Designed By: Colonel Kessler of the 1st Montana Infantry
• Design: A blue flag with the Great Seal of Montana placed in the center and the text "Montana" written above the seal. The state's seal features mountains, a body of water, a shovel, a pickaxe, a plow, trees, and the phrase "Oro-Y-Plata".
• Meaning: The Mountains and body of water are meant to symbolize the beauty and nature of Montana. The shovel, pickaxe, and plow represent Montana's agricultural and mineral wealth. The phrases "Oro-Y-Plata" translates to "Gold and Silver".

Montana first joined the Union as the 41st U.S. state on November 8th, 1889. In the spring of 1898, when the U.S. was at war with Spain, the state of Montana was still without a flag. Colonel Kessler, of the First Montana Infantry, decided that he wanted a unique flag for his men and himself that would distinguish them from other volunteer infantries from other states. All by himself, Kessler commissioned the design of a flag for the First Montana Infantry. The flag that Kessler's infantry ended up using consisted of an embroidered illustration of the Great Seal of Montana, a dark blue background, and the text "1st Montana Infantry U.S.V." above the seal. The flag stayed with the First Montana Infantry throughout their tour of duty and became almost famous back home in Montana. When the infantry returned home one year later, the flag had become something like an unofficial symbol of the state of Montana. Colonel Kessler presented the Governor of Montana with the flag and it was displayed throughout the state. In 1905, Montana Legislation adopted the infantry's flag, minus the words "1st Montana Infantry", as the official state flag of Montana. In 1981 the word "MONTANA" was added to the flag in Roman lettering, and in 1985 the lettering was changed from Roman letters to "Helvetica Bold". Aside from those two small changes, Kessler's flag design has remained the same and is still the official flag of the state of Montana.