State Tartans?

**OC Richard** · 8th July 25, 09:26 PM

Various States have tartans which have been officially adopted at various points.

So it's not like the Irish Counties situation where a Scottish weaver, House of Edgar, at one stroke devised tartans for all 32 Irish Counties.

I think Rocky or somebody at USA Kilts was inventing a batch of tartans for various States based on the colours of the State flags.

Ditto with the Irish County tartans. House of Edgar's Irish County tartans were "fashion tartans" in that the colours and patterns were chosen solely because they looked nice.

However each Irish County does have colours associated with it. These are the strips of the various Countys' GAA teams. And sure enough later somebody came along and invented a batch of tartans using the GAA kit colours.

Tartans based on things outside of the language of tartan rarely are very satisfying from an art design or weaver's standpoint. Tartans aren't flags. Tartans aren't coats-of-arms.

In any case I just wanted to give some background to the complicated and messy US State tartans situation.

California, for example, adopted a tartan which is a subtle variation on the Muir tartan to honour John Muir.

West Virginia adopted a tartan which is a subtle variation on a tartan shawl brought by a Scottish immigrant in the early 19th century.

You'll have to Google each state to discover all of the various stories.

**kiltedsawyer** · 9th July 25, 05:01 AM

And the Georgia tartan, adopted by the State of Georgia in in 1997..................designed by our own Peter MacDonald.

Cheers,

David

**figheadair** · 9th July 25, 06:26 AM

Originally Posted by kiltedsawyer

And the Georgia tartan, adopted by the State of Georgia in in 1997..................designed by our own Peter MacDonald.

Cheers,

David

Along with the Carolina tartan.

**BobF** · 9th July 25, 07:01 AM

I remember several years ago when Connecticut codified a state tartan. Someone somewhere must have had it woven, because neckties were being sold at the Scotland, Connecticut Highland Games a few years ago.

https://portal.ct.gov/about/state-sy...e-state-tartan

**User** · 9th July 25, 12:18 PM

Originally Posted by OC Richard

...
I think Rocky or somebody at USA Kilts was inventing a batch of tartans for various States based on the colours of the State flags.
...

Technically, those are based on the states' official great seals.

**bdkilted** · 9th July 25, 02:27 PM

The official tartan of Texas is the Texas Bluebonnet tartan, but we also have the unofficial Lone Star Tartan.
Tried to paste pictures of them, but it didn't work

**OC Richard** · 9th July 25, 04:43 PM

I have a book published in 2001 called World Tartans by Iain Zaczek which lists several State tartans.

The caveat is that the book is riddled with errors, which I go over here https://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/...-zaczek-56271/

So with a big grain of salt here's the State tartans Zaczek gives along with the origins the author mentions:

California "proposed by J Howard Standing, 1997"

Carolina (sadly Peter isn't mentioned)

Georgia "created by the Scottish Tartans Society in 1982"

Idaho Centennial "1990"

Maine Dirigo "designed by Linda Clifford for the St Andrews Society of Maine. There is an earlier Maine tartan dating from 1964."

Ohio "designed by Merry Jayne McMichael Fischbach" 1982 or 1983 (Said to be based both on the State seal and the State flag.)

Oklahoma "designed in 1998 by Jerrel Murray"

Texas Bluebonnet "designed in 1983 by June MacRoberts"

Vermont "designed in 1994 by Andrew Elliot"

Washington (State) "designed in 1988 by Margaret McLeod van Nus and Frank Cannonita (sic)" (I assume the author is referring to Frank Cannonito, a well-known figure in the Scottish community here.)

The book also mentions several tartans created for US cities.

Not in the book, but I'll add West Virginia. The tartan is said to be based on a putative piece of tartan fabric, a shawl, said to have been brought by a Scottish family to West Virginia in the early 19th century.

Of course there was no West Virginia in the early 19th century. That aside, I have communicated with two persons involved with the tiny museum the shawl was said to be (it's an old cabin) but alas both said they've never seen such a thing. Despite nobody knowing whether this shawl ever existed or not, the State officially adopted what is claimed to be a thread count based on the shawl as its State tartan.

**User** · 9th July 25, 04:58 PM

Here's Utah's: https://www.tartanregister.gov.uk/ta...tails?ref=4826

Can't say I'm fond of it. Maybe it looks better in person. I'm not going to pay to have it weaved to find out.

Designer: 'Smith Jnr, Dr Philip D
Tartan date: 01/01/1997

**OC Richard** · 9th July 25, 05:03 PM

Originally Posted by User

Here's Utah's: https://www.tartanregister.gov.uk/ta...tails?ref=4826

Can't say I'm fond of it. Maybe it looks better in person. I'm not going to pay to have it weaved to find out.

Designer: 'Smith Jnr, Dr Philip D
Tartan date: 01/01/1997

It's not in the Zaczek book but the Salt Lake City tartan is, "based on the colours of Utah University".

With some of the tartan-making programs that exist nowadays you can get a pretty good idea of what a tartan would look like woven. With some of the programs you can come up with custom colours so you can play with various palettes.

**User** · 9th July 25, 05:58 PM

Here's the most complete list of state tartans I've found: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o..._state_tartans

Originally Posted by OC Richard

It's not in the Zaczek book but the Salt Lake City tartan is, "based on the colours of Utah University".

I'm almost certain they must be referring to the Salt Lake County tartan.
Salt Lake City does not have an official tartan. Given the mistakes you've already documented from that book, this seems par for the course.
Also, there is not and has never been a "Utah University". I assume they mean "University of Utah".

University of Utah's colors are primarily red, with white and some black.
The Salt Lake County tartan matches that: https://www.tartanregister.gov.uk/ta...tails?ref=3643

I can't find anything in writing (besides your book) to support the claim that the Salt Lake County tartan colors are based on University of Utah's colors.
But looking at it, I have to assume it's true. It's very red, lined with white and a touch of black.

Originally Posted by OC Richard

With some of the tartan-making programs that exist nowadays you can get a pretty good idea of what a tartan would look like woven. With some of the programs you can come up with custom colours so you can play with various palettes.

Oh, that's a fun idea. I don't think the design is entirely bad. Those colors just feel like they're overly saturated to the point of inducing nausea.
What program(s) do you recommend?

Also, for anyone who's curious, Utah's official tartan is specified in Title 63G, Chaper 1, Part 6, Section 601(6)

(6) Utah's state centennial tartan, which honors the first Scots known to have been in Utah and those Utahns of Scottish heritage, shall have a pattern or repeating-half-sett of white-2, blue-6, red-6, blue-4, red-6, green-18, red-6, and white-4 to represent the tartan worn anciently by the Logan and Skene clans, with the addition of a white stripe.

source: https://le.utah.gov/xcode/Title63G/C...3G-1-S601.html