Washington State Tartan
State Tartan
Adopted in 1991
Washington state tartan is the official state tartan established by the Washington state legislature in 1991. A project of the
Vancouver Country Dancers, it was designed by Margaret McLeod van Nus and Frank Cannonito to commemorate the Washington State Centennial celebrations.
The tartan is accredited by the Scottish Tartans Society.
Consisting of a green background with stripes of blue, white, yellow, red, and black, the state tartan of Washington was designed by Margaret McLeod
van Nus and Frank Cannonito in 1988 to commemorate the Washington centennial celebration. It was registered with the Scottish Tartans Society after
its adoption by the state legislature in 1991.The colors represent various aspects of nature: green symbolizes rich forests of the state; blue the
lakes, rivers and ocean; white the snow-capped mountains; red the apple and cherry crops; yellow the wheat and grain crops; and black the eruption
of Mount St. Helens.
Washington State Tartan: State Tartan
The Washington State tartan was designed in 1988 by Vancouver, USA Country Dancers Margaret McLeod van Nus and Frank Cannonita to commemorate the 1989 Washington State Centennial, VUSA-SCD's Vancouver class researched and designed what is now the Washington State Tartan. VUSA-SCD's Kelso class produced a book of centennial dances. It is identified by the background color green, which represents the rich forests of Washington, the "Evergreen State."
The perpendicular bands of contrasting colors represent the following features:
blue for the lakes, rivers and ocean;
white for the snow-capped mountains;
red for the apple and cherry crops;
yellow for the wheat and grain crops; and
black for the eruption of Mt. St. Helens.
The bill, designating a state tartan, was signed into law in 1991.
Scottish Tartans World Register: Washington
Washington District Tartan WR2133
The new Tartan, registered and seal affixed by the Council of the Scottish Tartans Society, was presented to and ratified by the Washington State
Legislature in 1991 becoming the first official State Tartan west of the Mississippi. The first swatch of Washington State Tartan fabric was woven
by Dalglisb Mill in Scotland. The Pendleton Mill in Washougal, Washington wove the first bolt from which table runners were made and donated for use
in the State Capitol in Olympia, Washington.
Washington Law
The law designating the official Washington state tartan is found in the Revised Code of Washington, Title 1, Chapter 1.20, Section 1.20.110.
Title 1 GENERAL PROVISIONS
Chapter 1.20 General provisions.
RCW 1.20.110
State tartan.
The Washington state tartan is hereby designated. The tartan shall have a pattern of colors, called a sett, that is made up of a green background with
stripes of blue, white, yellow, red, and black. The secretary of state shall register the tartan with the Scottish Tartan Society, Comrie, Perthshire,
Scotland.
[1991 c 62 § 1.]
