Orange County, California

Orange County, California

I don’t get what their going for here.

Mariposa and Amador Counties, California

Mariposa County, California

Amador County, California

Here’s a dual post for you. Two bad flags from California that feature old timey prospectors.

Mariposa County, home to part of Yosemite National Park, is not represented very well by its flag. Of course, there’s El Capitan in the background. No arguments with that. But the prospector panning for gold has found a butterfly rather than a gold nugget. Of course, mariposa means butterfly in Spanish, but a real prospector would probably be firing off that six-shooter into the air if he found a bug instead of gold. And the font is a little too predictable: very Bonanza.

Amador County, just a little bit north of Mariposa in the Sierra Nevada, also went with the prospector. Except this guy is the kind that breaks open rocks rather than the kind that sifts dirt in the river. Much more butch. Those hip boots are another story, though…  He’s got his pick and shovel – essential tools of the trade, and a cocky stance. Like he knows where the gold is going to be inside of that 6 trillion cubic meter mountian. Good luck, fella!

The one thing we learn from these two flags is that red shirts were de moda for Californian prospectors.

Good Flag: Fresno, California

Here’s an example of an excellent flag. The colors are nice, the iconography is clear and concise, and even though the city’s name is written on the flag, it’s a good font and doesn’t detract too much. The plant at the center represents Fresno’s agricultural industry. It’s located in California’s Central Valley, and the land nearby is very fertile. The gear represents industry, the largest of which is food processing. All in all, a good flag.