The Beautiful 100-Year Old American Flag Flying Over Colorado

Colorado is full of history. You can find it in Native American settlements across the state, or within Colorado’s first established town, San Luis.

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There’s also plenty different pieces of history that are just off the beaten path as well. You can make a hike to the remains of the Castlewood Dam a few miles outside of Denver, or you can go to Colorado’s most photographed spot, the Crystal Mill.

However, there is a piece of Colorado history that you can find flying over the state for the past 100 years, and the story behind it is fascinating.

The Story of the 100-Year Old American Flag over Palisade, Colorado

Located on top of the Book Cliffs in Palisade, Colorado, flies an America flag with a ton of history.

As reported by Rocky Mountain PBS, the flag was originally placed by John D. Reeder, who was an early pioneer here in Colorado.

He arrived here all the way back in 1883, and was there when Palisade was first founded in 1904.

He also was appointed as the sheriff of Mesa County in 1894 as well.

Around 1915, Reeder along with a party of people went up to the top of Book Cliffs with the goal of raising a flagpole to fly an American flag.

The Flag and Flagpole Was Rediscovered by Mike Kennedy in 2017

After Reeder put the flag up in 1915, it went completely untouched for the next century. This was despite the fact that many people were able to see the flag for themselves for generations.

That is, until Palisade local, Mike Kennedy, decided to take a hike up to the Book Cliffs in 2017.

It was there that he decided to retire the old, beat up flag and replace it with a newer flag.

Ever since, he has worked closely with the founding chair of the Palisade Historical Society, Priscilla Walker, to preserve the history of the flag and flagpole and to document the life of John D. Reeder.

If anything, it is another piece of Colorado’s rich history that stands tall amongst the others.