I had always thought this picture was taken on Jan 4, 1896:

But, I was wrong. The flag was hung on the Temple in July 1897 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the arrival of the Mormon pioneers.
It was known as the statehood flag, and it did hang in Temple Square in January 1896. It was hung from the ceiling of the Tabernacle:

-Bob
2 comments:
Why is the flag hung on the Temple with stars first?
In my work drafting General Wes Clark to run for president, I learned that is the "charging" or "battle" flag, which would be held that way as the soldiers holding a flag on a pole would running up a hill.
Seems rather combative for a 50th anniversary of the pioneers.
The story I've heard is that the flag was only hung backwards for a few hours, until someone noticed it. The guys who hung the flag from the roof couldn't see their mistake.
-Bob
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