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Colfax County, New Mexico (U.S.)

image located by Valentin Poposki, 13 September 2012

Description of the Flag
Seal

- indicates flag is known.
- indicates it is reported that there is no known flag.

Municipal flags in Colfax County:

Raton

See also:

Description of the Flag

The proposed and approved flag for the Colfax County, New Mexico [but some changes required]
Source: ratonrange.com/county-picks-seal-flag-idea-officials-want-local-artist-to-incorporate-so-p3798-1.htm

The Colfax County commission this week reviewed this offering by Ray Wolf. This flag design, which contains what would be the county seal, received preliminary approval, with direction for Wolf to make some changes and additions before a final version is approved. Courtesy Colfax County An artist's designs for a new seal and flag for Colfax County won initial approval this week from the county commission, which asked that the artist try to incorporate some alterations and additions suggested by the commission and then present a final draft for consideration.

Local artist Ray Wolf, who is also executive director of the Raton Arts and Humanities Council, developed the seal and flag designs favored by the commission from among proposals by three artists. The other two artists who submitted designs were Martin Pavletich of Cimarron and Brad McQueary of Richardson, Texas. McQueary is the son of Larry and Kathy McQueary of Raton.

Wolf's current county seal design features the Zia and reproductions of two drawings that are found on the front of the county building, one showing a coal miner and the other a harvesting farmer. The flag and seal designs include multiple colors and shapes that represent a variety of things that Wolf connects to Colfax County.

In an e-mail to County Manager Don Day, Wolf described his design for the county flag, which has a purple-and-white background with the county seal centered on the flag.

Wolf wrote, "The Purple stands for the beautiful sunsets we have in Colfax County. The Points are a symbol of the Folsum (sic) points (related to the historic Folsom Man site near Johnson Mesa). The Red, blue and white stands for our connection to the United States. The Zia ties us to New Mexico. The blue field is for our beautiful blue skies. The red is representative of the blood spilled from the massacre of the Comanches by the Spaniards."

At the commission's meeting Tuesday, Commissioner Bill Sauble said he believes the county's agriculture industry would be better represented by cattle rather than the farming picture that was replicated from the county building. He also suggested that wildlife perhaps be included in the seal, although the commissioners recognized that using too many items would clutter the seal.

Sauble joined Commissioner Bill Conley in suggesting the year 1869, when the county was established, be displayed in the seal. Conley also noted that including the railroad might be a good idea since it played a big role in the county's history.

County officials began the effort to solicit proposals for a new seal and flag in 2010, but the initial call for ideas produced no submissions. The county recently renewed the effort, attracting the proposals from the three artists. The county did have a flag some years ago - a relatively simple black-and-white design. However, the county loaned its only flag to the state fair one year and never got it back, according to what county officials have been able to learn. Assistant County Manager Cheryl Naverette was able to determine a Colfax County flag is hanging in the rotunda of the state Capitol in Santa Fe, but that seems to be the lone remaining copy of the old flag that anyone can track down.

The county had a seal designed in 2006. However, the use of that seal is limited to the county website because of legal restrictions that were put in place when the designer created the seal for another contractor the county had hired to develop the county website.
Valentin Poposki, 13 September 2012

Seal

image located by Paul Bassinson, 31 July 2018

Image source: www.co.colfax.nm.us
Paul Bassinson, 31 July 2018