[1] The first flag of Nevada was created by Governor John Sparks and Colonel Harry Day in 1905.

The winning design, by Louis Shellback III, was subjected to some revision in the state legislature, where there was disagreement between the two houses over the placement of the word "Nevada" on the flag.

A compromise was reached, and in 1929 Governor Fred B. Balzar signed into law a bill adopting the new flag.

Thus, "Nevada" was spelt from the "N" at the top, radiating clockwise E, V, A, D, A, in the spaces between the star's points.

A law enacted in 1991 directed that the word "Nevada" appear below the star and above the sagebrush sprays, thus producing the current design.