Flag of Moctezuma In 1823 the Spanish left California and all of the land was given to Mexico. Soon many of the locals felt neglected by the new government. In 1827 Governor
José María de Echeandía proposed to change the name of the province from Alta California to Moctezuma, after the
Aztec emperor
Moctezuma I. He said that they should lower the
Mexican flag and raised a new flag to show support for independence. The flag was described as: "...a white field with a blue oval in the center, with an Indian inside wearing a feathered headdress and carrying a bow and a quiver of arrows, stepping across the
Bering Strait...The Oval would be supported by an olive tree...and a oak tree..." The moment ended when Mexico approved their Territorial Deputation.
Lone Star of California , which inspired the red star in the flag of the Bear Flag Revolt. In 1836, a coup led by
Juan Alvarado declared Alta California's independence from Mexico. Alvarado declared himself governor of the territory and raised a banner with the inscription: "FEDERATION OR DEATH." Alvarado soon recruited U.S. frontiersmen led by
Isaac Graham, to support him. The rebels easily captured the capital
Monterey, but were unable to convince southern leaders such as
Juan Bandini and
Carlos Antonio Carrillo to join the rebellion. Faced with a civil war, Alvarado and the other
Californios negotiated a compromise with the central government wherein California's leaders accepted its status as a "department" under the "
Siete Leyes" Mexican constitution of 1836, in return for more local control. Alvarado was appointed governor the next year. The Lone Star Flag of California, associated with Alvarado's rebellion, contained a single red star on a white background. One last original flag is archived at the
Autry National Center. In January 1837 a small army led by Alvarado was heading through the town of
Santa Barbara when he got the idea of making a flag. He ordered his men to bring him a Mexican flag and in the white stripe he wrote "Independence for California." The flag was given to Father Duran of the local Mission to be blessed. A year later it was carried by Alvarado's men in the
Battle of San Buenaventura and raised over the
Mission after the affair. During the
Battle of San Juan Capistrano Captain
Salvador Vallejo carried with him a massive white flag with a large red scroll with the inscription: "IF OUR ENEMIES DO NOT SURRENDER, I SHALL HAVE THEM BEHEADED!"
Original Bear Flag The original grizzly bear flag was created by Peter Storm. A version of this bear flag, designed by William L. Todd, was raised in
Sonoma, California, in June 1846 on a date between the 14th and the 17th, by the men who became known as the "Bear Flaggers", including
William B. Ide. The exact creation date is at least somewhat unclear. However, U.S. Naval Lieutenant John Missroon reported the flag's existence as of June 17, 1846. William L. Todd was a cousin of
Mary Todd Lincoln. According to the book
Flags Over California, published by the California Military Department, the star on the flag recalled the 1836 California Lone Star Flag. Todd, in an 1878 letter to the
Los Angeles Express, states that the star was drawn using blackberry juice and in recognition of the California Lone Star Flag. The bear was designed to be a symbol of strength and unyielding resistance. Two days later, on July 9, 1846, Navy Lieutenant
Joseph Warren Revere arrived in Sonoma and hauled down the Bear Flag, running up in its place the
Stars and Stripes. The Bear Flag was given to young John E. Montgomery (son of Commander John B. Montgomery of ), who would later write in a letter to his mother "Cuffy came down growling"—"Cuffy" being his nickname for the bear on the flag. The Bear Flag given to young Montgomery returned with USS
Portsmouth to the east coast of the U.S. in 1848, but in 1855 was returned to California. The flag was given to California's two senators, John B. Weller and William M. Gwin. This flag was donated to the
Society of California Pioneers on September 8, 1855, and was preserved at the Society's Pioneer Halls in San Francisco until it was destroyed on April 18, 1906, in the fires that followed the great
San Francisco earthquake. Today, a replica hangs on display in the Sonoma Barracks, or
El Presidio de Sonoma. There is also a statue in the plaza at Sonoma, California, commemorating the raising of the flag, the Bear Flag Monument.
Other Bear Flags There are many accounts of other bear flags being made during the revolt. Most of the accounts were made years afters the revolt. File:Early California Republic flag.png|An early Republic flag, per description File:The Sonoma Bear flag.jpg|Etching of a Bear flag flown in Sonoma in 1846 File:Bear Flag Guidon, California.jpg|"The Bear Flag Guidon". Carried by the
California Battalion File:Bancroft Bear flag.png|The Bear Flag as described by
Hubert Howe Bancroft File:Black California Bear Flag.png|The Bear Flag as described by the
Sacramento Daily Union File:The People Right's Bear Flag, California.png|The Bear Flag as described by the
Sacramento Transcript File:Porterfield's Bear Flag, California.png|The Bear Flag according to Porterfield's account File:Lindsay's Bear Flag, California.png|The Bear Flag according to Lindsay's account File:Alexander's Bear Flag, California.png|The Bear Flag according to Alexander Todd's account File:Bradshaw's Bear flag, California.png|The Bear Flag according to Bradshaw's account (the biggest Bear Flag made during the revolt, measuring ca wide and long) File:The Bettmann Achieve Bear Flag (1846).png|The Bear Flag as described in the Bettmann Archive A year after the revolt American settlers in
Sacramento Valley wanted to celebrate the 4th of July by raising a national flag. The party did not have one, so they started gathering material to make an improvised American flag. It was described as: "...small square of heavy cloth, light blue in color, upon which is pasted a white paper star of eight points, while a piece of paper is pasted along the top bar with the following motto written upon it: " California is ours as long as the stars remain."
1850s they flew an American flag with one large star that represented the state. Another flag flown to celebrated California's statehood was the first state flag. The flag contained the state seal in the center of its field, with it being painted by
William Henry Powell. The whole thing measuring at wide and long. From 1850-1858 people across the country started flying the American flags with their 31 stars arranged in the "Grand Luminary" pattern. This is when the stars in the
canton are arranged to make one big star. also one raised in
Marysville but with the names: "Fremont and
Dayton," on it. File:California Statehood flag (1850).png|Streamer flown by the
Oregon, 1850 File:California. Lone Star Flag, San Francisco admission day flag 1850.png|Digital remake of the "Lone Star" flag flown on admission day in San Francisco File:31 star American flag.png|Digital remake of an American flag with a Grand Luminary star pattern and 14 stripes, it flew on admission day File:Califronia 31 star flag.png|Digital reconstruction of the flag carried by
Californios in San Francisco during the admission day parade. Based on a written description File:American Flag with Red and Yellow stripes, California.png|Digital reconstruction of a unique 31 star American flag with red & yellow stripes, 1851 File:Lone star Californian flag, July 4, 1852, Plumas County, California.png|Digital reconstruction of the "Lone Star" flag flown in
Plumas County on July 4, 1852. It was described by
Louise Clappe The Civil War period File:1860 Republican National Convention flag.png|Flag used by California's delegates at the
1860 Republican National Convention File:Lincoln's California campaign flag (c1860-1861).png|Digital reconstruction of the flag carried by California delegates to
Washington D.C., 1861 (based on description) File:Confederate bear flag.png|Digital reconstruction of bear flag flown by secessionists In Los Angeles, 1861 (based on description) File:California's Montgomery Guard's (Militia) flag, 1861.png|Digital reconstruction of and American flag with a unique star pattern. The gold star in the center stands for California, 1861 (based on description) During the secession crisis and the early part of the
American Civil War in 1861, California was divided between supporters of the union and supporters of southern secession. In the months leading up to the war, some opposed to the government in
Los Angeles County and
San Bernardino County showed support for secession by flying variants of the Bear Flag instead of the Stars and Stripes. One version of the Bear Flag that was flown on May 29 in
Los Angeles was described as "...a deep red flag with a black bear painted on it." Duncan Beaumont raised a
Pacific Republic flag from his boat in the
Stockton to show his loyalty to secession. A party of men raised a banner containing a small
American flag in the top corner and in the center a huge
eagle with a
grizzly bear below it. It was cut down by a different group of loyal unionists later in the day. The group thought it was a sign of disunion, but the day after they raised it in a different part of town to show their support for the Union. Soon secessionist across the state started raising other flags to express their sympathy for the Confederacy. These include:
Palmetto flags, 7 stars flags,
Stars and Bars, Not to be outdone, Unionists raised several flags to show support for the United States. The flags were the
Stars and stripes (Sometimes with patriotic mottos), Union club flags, Militia flags,
German flags, and
Irish flags. During the war, Union soldiers routinely took action against secessionists who ran up Confederate flags in many places, including above the California statehouse in Sacramento, then disappeared before they could be caught. Unionist Jack Biderman denounced Gillis, tore the flag from his hands, and taunted secessionists to try to take the flag back. No one tried. Because Gillis' flag was seized by Jack Biderman, it is referred to either as the "Biderman Flag" or the "Gillis Flag." The flag is preserved in the
state capitol. The state's regimental flags were outline by
Adjutant General William Chauncey Kibbe in
[special order, No. 2.]: in 1864 from newspaper accounts A year later a banner of similar design was hung in the city, but the seal was encircled by small American flags.
1870s–1910s The flags and banners used to represent the state from late the 19th century and early 20th either bore the state seal or a bear. The flags containing the state seal were mostly used by state officials, like delegates and the National Guard, while the Bear flag was popular with the public and fraternal organizations. With none of the flags ever being officially adopted, but there was a mention a state flag in a 1879 National guard law. It took a couple of years for the flag to be sent to National Capitol. It was later displayed in the
Smithsonian in 1888. They were describe as: The Bear Flag flown throughout the 1870s was usually a brown bear on a plain white field with no star or stripe. The flag was used by the
Native Sons of the Golden West and other pioneer organizations. Sometimes it was given as a trophy for
boat races or used as a
commodore flag. In 1885 the Bear Flag was first officially used to represent state during the
Southern Exposition, it had the state's name in the center. Another Bear Flag was produced for the
1889 Paris Exposition and was later displayed in
World WCTU Convention in 1891. It again flew during the
1893 World's Columbian Exposition. California's National Guard carried regimental flags with the state seal on them, from 1879 until 1907. During the
1888 Democratic National Convention delegates from California flew a state banner. It was described as "...large white banner of silk, fringed with gold. The seal of the State occupies the central space, while in each corner is a typical California scene..." In 1890 the Admission Day Celebration was being held in San Francisco, with 3 unique flags flown to represent the state. The designs were: "...Two
vaqueros lassoing a grizzly bear, the peaks of
Mount Shasta showing in the distance....Great seal of California...
The north star, with grizzly bear In foreground..." Two years later a Bear Flag was hung in Los Angeles that was similar to the modern state flag. On June 14, 1896 Sonoma was celebrating 50th Anniversary of the Bear Flag Revolt. The town decided to raised a duplicate of the original Bear Flag, which is still in the
Sonoma Barracks. When
Spanish-American War started California troops carried two regimental flags, one that contain the state seal and the name of the regiment below. The other was an American flag with name of the regiment in the stripes. In September of 1900,
Santa Cruz was getting ready to hold the Republican State Convention. The whole town was patriotically decorated and in the center of the city's armory was a purple banner with the states coat of arms in the center. During the
1904 Republican National Convention, California delegates carried a banner bearing vertical stripes of purple, white and gold. On top was a white space with the inscription "CALIFORNIA." In the center was a representation of "...industrial California..." and a bear eating grapes. While the backside had a painting of the
Sierra Nevada with a river cutting though it. in 1908, the State Republican Convention was being held in
Oakland, during the introductory speeches a group of
Suffragist in stormed in demanding the right to vote. They carried with them a large blue flag with the state seal embroidered in gold. In 1909 the
USS California was given two flags, one was a Bear Flag and other had the state seal on it. Three years later the last state flag to contain the state seal was carried in a
women suffrage parade in
New York City. In 1933 during the 83rd anniversary of California being admitted to the union, a unique Bear Flag was flown. It was a plain red flag with a golden bear in the center. ==Flag of the governor==