Flag of California: basic facts and history of creation

The state of California has a rich history, it can be said about the flag of this subject of the United States. What are the main historical facts that reflect its appearance? What does the California flag look like today?

General information

The flag of California is one of the main heraldic symbols of this American state. Before it was officially approved, the so-called "Bear Flag" belonging to the California Republic was considered as its prototype (we will study it further in the article). It can be noted that the modern flag of California is often referred to in this way.

The officially modern state symbol was approved as a symbol of this US state in 1911. Let's study the facts about the heraldic symbol in more detail: its appearance reflects many significant events in the history of America.

What does the symbol look like?

But first, let's see what the California flag looks like. The photo of this heraldic symbol is presented below in the article.

The flag is a rectangular cloth. Its main color is white. In the lower part is a rectangular strip, which has a red color. Its width is 1/6 of the width of the Californian flag. Above it is the inscription CALIFORNIA REPUBLIC. In the upper right-hand side there is a red star. In the central part of the flag there is an image of a grizzly bear that walks along the lawn. The proportion of the width of the flag to its length is 2 to 3.

It will be useful to study noteworthy facts about how the flag of California was adopted. The history of its creation begins in the first half of the 19th century.

History of the adoption of the Californian banner

One of the historical events that influenced the adoption of the modern flag of California was the uprising of 1836 against the Mexican rulers of the state. Participants in this uprising proclaimed California an independent state. The mutiny was not successful, but his flag, which depicted a red star on a white background, subsequently significantly influenced the appearance of the already official heraldic symbol of California.

"Bear flag"

In June 1846, a new uprising broke out in California for independence. With its beginning, which was accompanied by the announcement of the California Republic, the Bearish Flag was raised - very similar to that raised by the participants of the 1836 uprising, but on the white sheet besides the star there was also a bear image. It symbolized the strength of the resistance movement.

Actually, the territory of California was proclaimed by the Republic of the "Bear Flag". The events of June 1846 were preceded by military operations in the framework of the war between the US and Mexico. However, the American colonists who lived in California, did not know about the confrontation of the two states, therefore raised an uprising against the Mexican government, not coordinating it with the US authorities. The capital of the new republic was the city of Sonoma.

In July, when the first flag of California was already shown to the people, the US fleet landed on the territory of the future US state, which informed the insurgents that the country was at war with Mexico. Upon learning of this, the rebel members decided that their Republic would be liquidated, and its armed forces would fight on the side of the United States.

In July 1846, California was declared a US-owned territory. In the city of Monterey, the flag of the American state was raised. In 1850, officially announced its entry into the United States. The original of the "Bear Flag" was handed to John Montgomery, who commanded the US warship. This flag arrived in this way on the east coast of the state in 1848.

In 1855, the flag of California was returned to the state and handed over to senators. In turn, they transferred it to a public organization established in honor of the pioneers of California. In 1906 a fire broke out in this organization, as a result of which the flag was lost.

Now the exact copy of the "Bear Flag" is located in one of the military garrisons of California. These are the basic facts about the official heraldic symbol of this American state. It is worth noting that the flag of California with two bears and other images that do not match the photo and description of the banner, was not officially used.