This 37-star flag flew above the parade grounds at Fort Garland, CO, during a formative time in the state’s history. Fort Garland was established in the San Luis Valley in June 1858 to protect settlers and trade routes in the area. It was administered by famed mountain man and US Army Colonel Kit Carson from 1865 to 1867. From 1876 to 1879, the fort was home to the US 9th Cavalry, one of a handful of all-Black units established after the Civil War that became known as Buffalo Soldiers. During this period, these soldiers were responsible for preventing conflict between Ute Indians and white settlers, as well as removing white settlers from Ute Reservation lands. The flag would have flown over the fort sometime between its manufacture and the retirement of 37-star flags in July, 1877, when Colorado joined the United States as its 38th state. The flag was manufactured by the United States Bunting Company in Lowell, MA, in June, 1869. This company, established in 1865, had a contract to produce flags for the US military that were made entirely from American materials, rather than imported English bunting. The flag also demonstrates an interesting combination of manufacturing processes. Prior to 1865, flags were made by sewing pieces of colored cloth together. A new process of flag making developed by the United States Bunting Company, called clamp dyeing, allowed for a single piece of wool to be dyed in multiple colors and for the stars and stripes of the flag to be created without any sewing at all. While this flag was largely made using the clamp dyeing process, the flag’s stripes were sewn together in sections of colored cloth. This combination of dyeing and stitching the flag together was likely needed given its large size.