View source for Flag of California

{{Short description|U.S. state flag}}
{{Redirect|Bear flag}}
{{Use American English|date = October 2020}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2020}}
{{Infobox flag
| Name = Flag of the State of California
| Image = Flag of California.svg
| Nickname = Bear Flag
| Use = 110010
| Symbol = {{FIAV|110010}} {{FIAV|normal}} {{FIAV|Vertical normal}}
| Proportion = 2:3
| Adoption = {{Start date and age|1911|2|3}} (original version)<br>{{Start date and age|1953|6|14}}<ref name="law" /> (standardized version)
| Design = A single [[red star]] in the [[canton (flag)|canton]], a red stripe along the bottom, and a [[California grizzly bear]] atop a mound of green grass [[defacement (flag)|defacing]] a white field.
| Designer = Donald Graeme Kelley, based on flag flown during the [[Bear Flag Revolt]]
}}

The '''flag of California''', known as the '''Bear Flag''', is the [[US state flags|official flag]] of the [[U.S. state]] of [[California]].<ref name="csl-h-c" /> The precursor of the flag was first flown during the 1846 [[California Republic#Bear Flag Revolt|Bear Flag Revolt]] and was also known as the Bear Flag. A predecessor, called the '''Lone Star Flag''', was used in an 1836 independence movement;<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Guinn |first=J.M. |title=El Estado Libre de Alta California: The Free State of Upper California |journal=Annual Publication of the Historical Society of Southern California and Pioneer Register, Los Angeles |year=1898 |volume=4 |pages=163–172 |doi=10.2307/41167714 |jstor=41167714 |issue=2}}</ref> the red star element from that flag appears in the Bear Flag of today.<ref>{{Cite news |title=California's 'Red Star' Revolution |work=Santa Cruz Sentinel |url=https://www.santacruzsentinel.com/2021/07/25/californias-red-star-revolution-ross-eric-gibson-local-history}}</ref>

==Current flag==

===Law and protocol===
The 1911 statute stated:
{{blockquote|The bear flag is hereby selected and adopted as the state flag of California. ... The said bear flag shall consist of a flag of a length equal to one and one-half the width thereof; the upper five-sixths of the width thereof to be a white field, and the lower sixth of the width thereof to be a red stripe; there shall appear in the white field in the upper left-hand corner a single [[red star]], and at the bottom of the white field the words '[[California Republic]],' and in the center of the white field a California grizzly bear upon a grass plat, in the position of walking toward the left of the said field; said bear shall be dark brown in color and in length, equal to one-third of the length of said flag.}}

In 1953, the design and specifications for the state flag were standardized in a bill signed by Governor [[Earl Warren]] and illustrated by Donald Graeme Kelley of Marin County, California.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bear in Mind |url=http://www.californiamuseum.org/photo-gallery/bear-mind |website=californiamuseum.org |date=November 18, 2015 |access-date=March 21, 2019 |archive-date=October 30, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221030070757/https://www.californiamuseum.org/photo-gallery/bear-mind |url-status=dead }}</ref> The Californian state flag is often called the "Bear Flag" and in fact, the present statute adopting the flag, [http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?sectionNum=420&lawCode=GOV California Government Code § 420], states: "The Bear Flag is the State Flag of California."

Pursuant to [http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?sectionNum=439&lawCode=GOV Section 439 of the California Government Code], the regulations and protocols for the proper display of the flag of California is controlled by the [[California Adjutant General]]:
{{blockquote|The Adjutant General shall, by regulation, prescribe rules regarding the times, places, and the manner in which the State Flag may be displayed. He shall, periodically, compile the laws and regulations regarding the State Flag. Copies of the compilation shall be printed and made available to the public at cost by the Department of General Services.}}

When the flag is displayed vertically, it is rotated 90 degrees clockwise such that the bear and star face upward and red stripe is on the left.<ref name="caguard">{{Cite web |year=2002 |title=Flags Over California: A History Guide |url=http://www.militarymuseum.org/Flags_Over_Ca.pdf |access-date=22 July 2012 |website=[[California State Military Museum]] |publisher=State of California, [[California Military Department|Military Department]]}}</ref>

The flag is also used as the [[state ensign]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sergeant Mark J. Denger |title=Flags of California's Naval Forces |url=http://www.militarymuseum.org/NavMilFlag.html |access-date=18 April 2011 |website=The California Military Museum |publisher=California State Military Department |quote=Our state ensign, easily distinguishable, truly embodies the history of this state. The "Bear Flag," known from the annals of this state's history, dates from the days of those early California pioneers and commemorates the biggest bear known to science, the California grizzly, now extinct.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Gregory |first=Tom |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sUxNAAAAYAAJ&q=%22state%20ensign%22%20california&pg=PA327 |title=Story of the Bear Flag - How the State Ensign Came Into Being |series=Journal of the Senate of the State of California |publisher=State Printing Office |year=1912 |volume=2 |pages=327–329 |access-date=18 April 2011}}</ref>

===Design===
[[File:Flag of California at the State Capitol in September 2016.jpg|thumb|upright|The flag on display at the [[California State Capitol]].]]
The first official version of the Bear Flag was adopted by the [[California State Legislature]] and signed into law by [[Governor of California|Governor]] [[Hiram Johnson]] in 1911 as the official state flag.<ref name="csl-9-6">{{Cite book |title=The Statutes of California and Amendments to the Codes passed |series=Thirty-Ninth Session of the Legislature |year=1911 |page=6 |chapter=9}}</ref>

The contemporary state flag is white with a wide red strip along the bottom. There is a red star in the upper left corner and a [[California grizzly bear]] facing left (toward the hoist) in the center, walking on a patch of green grass. The size of the bear is two-thirds the size of the hoist width and has a ratio of 2 by 1. The grass plot has a ratio of 11 to 1.<ref name="csl-h-c">{{Cite web |title=California State Library - History and Culture |url=http://www.library.ca.gov/history/symbols.html#Heading2 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190105214315/http://www.library.ca.gov/california-history/state-symbols/#Heading2 |archive-date=January 5, 2019 |access-date=2007-12-03 |publisher=California State Library}}</ref>  The five-point star is taken from the California Lone Star Flag of 1836.<ref name="caguard" /> The hoist of the flag is two-thirds the fly.<ref>{{Cite web |title=State Flag and Emblems |url=https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?sectionNum=420&lawCode=GOV |work=California Law |publisher=California Legislative Information |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231212030304/https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?sectionNum=420&lawCode=GOV |archive-date= Dec 12, 2023 }}</ref>

The bear on one 1911 version of the flag is claimed to have been modeled on the last [[California golden bear|California grizzly bear]] in captivity.<ref>{{Cite book |last=David T. Page |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=U7d-miv7Pp4C&pg=PA49 |title=Explorer's Guide Yosemite & the Southern Sierra Nevada: Includes Mammoth Lakes, Sequoia, Kings Canyon & Death Valley: A Great Destination (Second Edition) (Explorer's Great Destinations) |date=6 June 2011 |publisher=Countryman Press |isbn=978-1-58157-880-5 |page=49}}</ref> The bear, named "[[Monarch (bear)|Monarch]]", was captured in 1889 by newspaper reporter Allan Kelly, at the behest of [[William Randolph Hearst]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Monarch the Grizzly Bear |url=http://www.sfpix.com/park/history/monarch/ |access-date=2010-06-14}}<br/>{{Cite book |last=Katherine Girlich |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O78tpEkoGMkC&pg=PA27 |title=San Francisco Zoo |date=17 June 2009 |publisher=Arcadia Publishing |isbn=978-1-4396-3807-1 |page=27}}</ref> The bear was subsequently moved to [[Woodward's Gardens|Woodwards Gardens]] in San Francisco, and then to the zoo at [[Golden Gate Park]]. After the bear's death in 1911, it was mounted and preserved at the [[California Academy of Sciences|Academy of Sciences]] at Golden Gate Park.<ref name=":10">{{Cite book |last=Laurel Braitman |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UWhNAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA85 |title=Animal Madness: How Anxious Dogs, Compulsive Parrots, and Elephants in Recovery Help Us Understand Ourselves |date=10 June 2014 |publisher=Simon and Schuster |isbn=978-1-4516-2702-2 |pages=85–88}}</ref>

While the bear flag was adopted in 1911, until 1953 the image of the bear varied depending on the flag manufacturer. In 1953 the bear image was standardized by Donald Greame Kelley,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Desert Sun 15 August 1985 — California Digital Newspaper Collection |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=DS19850815.2.31&srpos=720&e=-------en--20--701--txt-txIN-State+flag+banner+------- |access-date=2025-02-22 |website=cdnc.ucr.edu}}</ref> he based it off the 1855 watercolor by [[Charles Christian Nahl]].<ref name=":11">{{Cite web |title=Flags Over California |url=https://www.militarymuseum.org/Flags_Over_Ca.pdf |access-date=21 January 2023 |website=California State Military Museums Program |publisher=State of California, Military Department |page=11 |quote=Various bear images appeared on the flag until the design was standardized in 1953 modeled after the 1855 watercolor by Charles Nahl... A copy of this painting, which is in the city of Monterey collection, can be seen in the [[Colton Hall]] Museum.}}</ref><ref name=":12">{{Cite web |last=Chamings |first=Andrew |date=2020-07-07 |title=The bear on the California state flag lived in Golden Gate Park |url=https://www.sfgate.com/living-in-sf/article/The-bear-on-the-CA-flag-lived-in-Golden-Gate-Park-15389804.php}}</ref> The 1953 law includes an official black and white rendering of the bear as well as the plot of grass and brown tufts. This drawing and other specifications that define the flag's colors and dimensions are identified as "54-J-03".<ref name="law">{{Cite web |title=California State Flag Specifications |url=http://www.bearflagmuseum.org/California%20State%20Flag%20Specifications%201953%201954%201959.PDF |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190507052044/http://www.bearflagmuseum.org/California%20State%20Flag%20Specifications%201953%201954%201959.PDF |archive-date=May 7, 2019 |website=bearflagmuseum.org}}</ref>

The Californian flag is one of two U.S. state flags to depict a bear, along with [[Flag of Missouri|Missouri]].

In 2001, the [[North American Vexillological Association]] surveyed its members on the designs of the 72 U.S. state, U.S. territorial, and Canadian provincial flags and ranked the flag of California 13th out of 50 U.S. states, and the best flag that contains words, specifically the state's name.<ref name=":13">{{Cite web |last=Kaye |first=Ted |date=10 June 2001 |title=New Mexico Tops State/Provincial Flags Survey, Georgia Loses by Wide Margin |url=http://www.nava.org/Flag%20Design/State%26Provincial%20Survey%202001/surveyresults.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606033347/http://www.nava.org/Flag%20Design/State%26Provincial%20Survey%202001/surveyresults.htm |archive-date=2011-06-06 |website=NAVA.org |publisher=[[North American Vexillological Association]]}}</ref>

<gallery widths="170px">
File:Flag of California Metrics.svg|Metrics for the flag of California
File:California Flag - Official Bear Drawing - 54-J-03.png|The accepted official rendering of the bear
File:Monarch the bear.jpg|"Monarch" the bear
</gallery>

===Colors===
[[File:Flag of California (vertical).svg|thumb|120px|Vertical display]]
The 1953 legislation defined the exact shades of the California flag with a total of five colors (including the white field) relative to the 9th edition of the [[Standard Color Reference of America|Standard Color Card of America]] (now called the Standard Color Reference of America).<ref name="law" /> It is one of only four [[Flags of the U.S. states|US state flags]] not to include the color blue, along with [[Flag of Alabama|Alabama]], [[Flag of Maryland|Maryland]], and [[Flag of New Mexico|New Mexico]].

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|-
!scope="col"| Color
!scope="col"| [[Standard Color Reference of America|Cable no.]]<ref name="law" />
!scope="col"| [[Pantone]]<ref name="caguard" />
!scope="col"| [[Web Colors|Web color]]<ref name=":14">{{Cite web |title=Pantone Color Chart |url=http://www.pantone.com/downloads/inkjetsolutions/downloads/pdfs/ColorChart.pdf |access-date=2008-01-28 |publisher=Pantone |archive-date=July 30, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200730021504/https://www.pantone.com/services/calibrated-printers |url-status=dead }}</ref>
!scope="col"| RGB values
|-
!scope="row" nowrap| {{Color box|#FFFFFF}} White
| 70001
| Safe
| <code>#FFFFFF</code>
| (255,255,255)
|-
!scope="row" nowrap| {{Color box|#BA0C2F}} Old Glory Red
| 70180
| 200
| <code>#BA0C2F</code>
| (186,12,47)
|-
!scope="row" nowrap| {{Color box|#B58150}} Maple Sugar
| 70129
| 729C
| <code>#B58150</code>
| (181,129,80)
|-
!scope="row" nowrap| {{Color box|#5C462B}} Seal
| 70108
| 462C
| <code>#5C462B</code>
| (92,70,43)
|-
!scope="row" nowrap| {{Color box|#00843D}} Irish Green
| 70168
| 348
| <code>#00843D</code>
| (0,132,61)
|}

* Seal is used for the dark shading of the bear, the 12 darker tufts in the plot of grass, the border of the plot and the lettering "CALIFORNIA REPUBLIC".
* Maple Sugar is the base color for the bear.
* Old Glory Red is used for the star, the bear's tongue and the red stripe at the bottom of the flag.
* Irish Green is used for the grass plot.
* The bear's claws are also accented with white. The left front and rear paws have four white claws while the right rear claw displays three. The front right paw does not contain highlighting.

==History==

=== 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 [[Aztecs|Aztec]] emperor [[Moctezuma I]]. He said that they should lower the [[Flag of Mexico|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.<ref>Rosie & the Bear Flag, p.4</ref>

===Lone Star of California===
[[File:Californian Lone Star Flag (1836).svg|thumb|right|The lone star of the 1836 California Lone Star Flag used by [[Juan Bautista Alvarado]], which inspired the red star in the flag of the Bear Flag Revolt.]]
In 1836, a coup led by [[Juan Bautista Alvarado|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."<ref>Rosie, p.5-6</ref> 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.
[[File:Alvarado's_Banner_of_November_6,_1836.png|left|thumb|150x150px|The banner carried by Alvarado after he declared himself governor<ref>Rosie, p.6</ref>]]
The Lone Star Flag of California, associated with Alvarado's rebellion, contained a single red star on a white background.<ref name="caguard" /> It was raised on December 18, 1836.<ref>Rosie, p.7</ref>  One last original flag is archived at the [[Autry National Center]].<ref name=":15">{{Cite news |last=Masters |first=Nathan |date=20 October 2011 |title=Where to Find California's Oldest Flag & Other Objects in SoCal's Archives |work=KCET |location=Burbank, California |url=http://www.kcet.org/updaily/socal_focus/history/la-as-subject/californias-oldest-flag-other-realia-from-socals-archives.html |access-date=12 June 2015}}</ref> 
[[File:The_Santa_Barbara_Flag_(1837).png|thumb|The Mission Independence flag, 1837<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pre-Bear Flag Revolt History {{!}} California Pioneer Heritage Foundation |url=https://californiapioneer.com/pre-bear-flag-revolt-history/ |access-date=2025-07-16 |language=en-US}}</ref>]]
In January 1837 a small army led by Alvarado was heading through the town of [[Santa Barbara, California|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 bless. A year later it was carried by Alvarado's men in the [[Battle of San Buenaventura]] and raised over the [[Mission San Buenaventura|Mission]] after the affair.<ref>Rosie, p.8-11</ref> During the [[Battle of San Juan Capistrano]] Captain [[Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo|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!"<ref>Rosie, p. 12-13</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Battle of San Juan Capistrano (U.S.) |url=https://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/us-ca%5Esj.html |access-date=2025-07-16 |website=www.crwflags.com}}</ref>

===Original Bear Flag===
{{Multiple image
|total_width=240
|align=right
|image1=Peter_Storm_with_Bear_Flag.jpeg
|caption1=The original grizzly bear flag with its designer, Peter Storm, {{Circa|1870}}
|image2=BearFlagMonument.JPG
|width2=156
|caption2=Bear Flag monument on the [[Sonoma Plaza]]
}}

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,<ref name=":16">{{Cite web |last=Ruiz |first=Augustine |date=4 June 2008 |title=Sacramento Post Office Invites Community to Celebrate Release of 'Flags of our Nation' California Stamp |url=http://www.usps.com/communications/newsroom/localnews/ca/ca_2008_0604a.htm |access-date=19 July 2011 |website=Postal News |publisher=United States Postal Service}}</ref> by the men who became known as the "Bear Flaggers", including [[William B. Ide]].<ref name=":17">{{Cite web |year=2008 |title=William B. Ide Abode State Historic Park |url=http://www.parks.ca.gov/pages/458/files/WBIAdobe010709WEBPDF.pdf |access-date=19 July 2011 |website=California State Parks |publisher=State of California |quote=This rallied the settlers into action, and on June 14, 1846, a group of about thirty men—including Ide—marched on the town of Sonoma. The group became known as the Bear Flaggers}}</ref> 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.<ref name=":18">{{Cite web |date=24 September 2003 |title=CALIFORNIA IN TIME: From the War with Mexico to Statehood. |url=http://www.parks.ca.gov/pages/735/files/chronology%20from%201836%20to%201850%20statehood.pdf |access-date=19 July 2011 |website=California State Parks |publisher=State of California |quote=William Todd brings news of Sonoma to Capt. John Montgomery of the U.S.N. ''Portsmouth'', who sends a reply with Lt. John Missroon.}}</ref>

William L. Todd was a cousin of [[Mary Todd Lincoln]].<ref name=":20">{{Cite book |last1=Hill |first1=Kathleen Thompson |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iLAziv4N_dgC&q=%22William+Todd%22+California+Mary+Todd+Lincoln&pg=PA293 |title=Insiders' Guide Napa Valley: Land Of Golden Vines |last2=Hill |first2=Gerald N. |publisher=Globe Pequot |year=2005 |isbn=9780762734436 |page=293 |access-date=8 March 2013}}{{Dead link|date=March 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}<br />{{Cite book |last=Brown |first=Gary |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Qutxjqc0vLwC&q=%22William+Todd%22+California+Mary+Todd+Lincoln&pg=PA209 |title=The Great Bear Almanac |publisher=Globe Pequot |year=1996 |isbn=9781558214743 |page=209 |access-date=8 March 2013}}{{Dead link|date=March 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> 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 (newspaper)|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.<ref name="caguard" />
[[File:Original_California_Bear_Flag.png|thumb|Original Bear Flag of the 1846 revolt, designed by William L. Todd]]
According to the [[Sonoma State Historic Park]], the construction of the flag was described as such:

{{blockquote|At a company meeting it was determined that we should raise a flag and that it should be a bear en passant [a heraldry term signifying that the bear is walking toward the viewer's left], with one star. One of the ladies at the garrison gave us a piece of brown domestic, and Mrs. Captain John Sears gave us some strips of red flannel about {{convert|4|in}} wide. The domestic was new, but the flannel was said to have been part of a petticoat worn by Mrs. Sears across the mountains...I took a pen, and with ink drew the outline of the bear and star upon the white cloth. Linseed oil and [[Venetian red]] were found in the garrison, and I painted the bear and star...Underneath the bear and star were printed with a pen the words 'California Republic' in Roman letters. In painting the words I first lined out the letters with a pen, leaving out the letter 'i' and putting 'c' where 'i' should have been, and afterwards the 'i' over the 'c'. It was made with ink, and we had nothing to remove the marks.<ref name="wtb">{{Cite web |title=William Todd and the construction of the bear flag |url=http://www.dfg.ca.gov/projectwild/bear/33.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070628012821/http://www.dfg.ca.gov/projectwild/bear/33.pdf |archive-date=2007-06-28 |access-date=2007-06-26 |publisher=Sonoma State Historic Park}}</ref>}}

The original Bear Flag and the republic it symbolized had a brief career, from about June 14 until July 9.<ref name="MJDCMM" /> On July 7, 1846, Commodore [[John Drake Sloat]] of the United States Navy's Pacific Squadron first raised the 28-star American flag at [[Monterey, California|Monterey]], the capital of Alta California, and claimed the territory for the United States.<ref name="MJDCMM">{{Cite web |last=Denger |first=Mark J. |title=The Acquisition of California |url=http://www.militarymuseum.org/AcqCA.html |access-date=19 July 2011 |website=The California Military Museum |publisher=California Military Department}}</ref>

Two days later, on July 9, 1846, Navy Lieutenant [[Joseph Warren Revere (general)|Joseph Warren Revere]] arrived in Sonoma and hauled down the Bear Flag, running up in its place the [[Flag of the United States|Stars and Stripes]]. The Bear Flag was given to young John E. Montgomery (son of Commander John B. Montgomery of {{USS|Portsmouth|1843|6}}), who would later write in a letter to his mother "Cuffy came down growling"&mdash;"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.<ref name="CBFSOS" /> 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 of 1906|San Francisco earthquake]].<ref name="CBFSOS">{{Cite web |title=California Bear Flag: Symbol of Strength |url=http://www.dfg.ca.gov/projectwild/bear/33.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070628012821/http://www.dfg.ca.gov/projectwild/bear/33.pdf |archive-date=28 June 2007 |access-date=15 July 2011 |website=Department of Fish and Game |publisher=State of California}}</ref> Today, a replica hangs on display in the Sonoma Barracks, or [[Presidio of Sonoma|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.[[File:Standing_Bear_flag,_California_(1846).png|thumb|Depiction of a standing bear used during the revolt<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Rocky Mountain News (Daily) April 30, 1926 — Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection |url=https://www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=RMD19260430-01.2.62&srpos=27&e=--1859---1939--en-20--21--img-txIN%7CtxCO%7CtxTA-%22Bear+flag%22+-------2------ |access-date=2025-08-14 |website=www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org}}</ref>]]

=== Other Bear Flags ===
There are many accounts of other bear flags being made during the revolt.<ref name="caguard" /><ref name=":26" /> Each flag has a different design, most with a bear as the central figure either in brown or black. Some having a standing bear while others had it on all fours. Almost all having a star either in purple, red, brown or black.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bancroft |first=Hubert Howe |url=https://archive.org/details/histofcalifvol522bancmiss/page/131/mode/1up |title=History of California |date=1886 |publisher=San Francisco: History co. |others=University of California Berkeley}}</ref> Most of the accounts were made years afters the revolt.
{{Blockquote|text=I have no doubt that within the next ten days [from June 14, 1846] there were a dozen Bear Flags made and floated. Every one who had a boat, store, or public place, desired them, and many of them made Bear Flags.|author=George W. Williams<ref name=":26">{{Cite web |title=Bear Flag Creation {{!}} California Pioneer Heritage Foundation |url=https://californiapioneer.com/bear-flag-creation/ |access-date=2025-02-23 |language=en-US}}</ref>}}<gallery>
File:Early California Republic flag.png|Digital reconstruction of a early Republic flag<ref>Bancroft. V. p. 147</ref>
File:The Sonoma Bear flag.jpg|Etching of another Bear flag flown in Sonoma in 1846<ref name=":19">{{Cite web |title=Wide West 1 January 1858 — California Digital Newspaper Collection |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=WW18580101.2.15&srpos=5&e=------185-en--20--1--txt-txIN-Bear+Flag------- |access-date=2024-12-21 |website=cdnc.ucr.edu}}</ref>
File:Bear Flag Guidon, California.jpg|The Bear Flag Guidon, it was carried by the [[California Battalion]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=San Francisco Call 7 September 1890 — California Digital Newspaper Collection |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SFC18900907.2.136&srpos=77&e=------189-en--20--61--txt-txIN-Bear+flag------- |access-date=2025-02-23 |website=cdnc.ucr.edu}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Weekly Calistogian 23 January 1878 — California Digital Newspaper Collection |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=TWC18780123.2.6&srpos=5&e=------187-en--20--1--txt-txIN-Bear+Flag------- |access-date=2025-02-23 |website=cdnc.ucr.edu}}</ref>
File:Bancroft Bear flag.png|Digital reconstruction of the Bear Flag described by [[Hubert Howe Bancroft]]<ref>Bancroft V. p. 148</ref>
File:Black California Bear Flag.png|Digital reconstruction of the Bear Flag described by the ''Sacramento Daily Union''<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sacramento Daily Union 24 August 1855 — California Digital Newspaper Collection |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SDU18550824.2.6&srpos=4&e=------185-en--20--1--txt-txIN-+State+flag+------- |access-date=2025-02-23 |website=cdnc.ucr.edu}}</ref>
File:The People Right's Bear Flag, California.png|Digital reconstruction of the Bear Flag described by the ''Sacramento Transcript''<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sacramento Transcript 10 April 1851 — California Digital Newspaper Collection |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=ST18510410.2.5&srpos=1&e=------185-en--20--1--txt-txIN-Bear+Flag------- |access-date=2025-02-23 |website=cdnc.ucr.edu}}</ref>
File:Porterfield's Bear Flag, California.png|Digital reconstruction of the Bear Flag from Porterfield's account<ref>{{Cite web |title=Healdsburg Tribune, Enterprise and Scimitar 4 April 1901 — California Digital Newspaper Collection |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=HTES19010404.2.43&srpos=46&e=------190-en--20--41--txt-txIN-+State+flag+------- |access-date=2025-02-23 |website=cdnc.ucr.edu}}</ref>
File:Lindsay's Bear Flag, California.png|Digital reconstruction of the Bear Flag from Lindsay's account<ref>{{Cite web |title=San Francisco Call 7 September 1890 — California Digital Newspaper Collection |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SFC18900907.2.136&srpos=77&e=------189-en--20--61--txt-txIN-Bear+flag------- |access-date=2025-02-23 |website=cdnc.ucr.edu}}</ref>
File:Alexander's Bear Flag, California.png|Digital reconstruction of the Bear Flag from Alexander Todd's account<ref>{{Cite web |title=Union Democrat (Sonora, 1854) 29 August 1874 — California Digital Newspaper Collection |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=UDS18740829.2.4&srpos=15&e=------187-en--20--1--txt-txIN-Bear+Flag------- |access-date=2025-02-23 |website=cdnc.ucr.edu}}</ref>
File:Bradshaw's Bear flag, California.png|Digital reconstruction of the Bear Flag from Bradshaw's account. It was the biggest Bear Flag made during the revolt, measuring around {{convert|6|ft|m|}} wide and {{convert|13|ft|m|0}} long<ref>''Los Angeles Star'', 24 August 1861</ref>
File:The Bettmann Achieve Bear Flag (1846).png|Digital reconstruction of the Bear Flag described in the Bettmann Archive<ref>{{Cite web |title=Early California Bear Flags (U.S.) |url=https://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/us-ca46.html |access-date=2025-06-21 |website=www.crwflags.com}}</ref>
</gallery>
A year after the revolt American settlers in [[Sacramento Valley]] wanted to celebrate the 4th of July by raising a national flag.<ref name=":21">{{Cite web |title=Weekly Colusa Sun 20 March 1886 — California Digital Newspaper Collection |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=WCS18860320.2.5&srpos=183&e=------188-en--20--181--txt-txIN-flag+inscription------- |access-date=2025-01-20 |website=cdnc.ucr.edu}}</ref> 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."<ref name=":9">{{Cite web |title=San Francisco Call 7 September 1890 — California Digital Newspaper Collection |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SFC18900907.2.136&srpos=77&e=------189-en--20--61--txt-txIN-Bear+flag------- |access-date=2025-01-20 |website=cdnc.ucr.edu}}</ref>

=== 1850s ===
[[File:Flag of California (1850).png|thumb|Digital reconstruction of California's first state flag, c.1850 (based off description)<ref name=":22" /><ref name=":23" />{{FIAV|historical}}{{FIAV|defacto}}{{FIAV|reconstructed}}]]
[[File:Historic_American_Buildings_Survey_Wells_Fargo_Bank_Historical_Museum_San_Francisco,_California_VIEW_FACING_NORTH_-_EARLY_1850's_-_Portmouth_Square,_Historic_View,_San_HABS_CAL,38-SANFRA,38-3.tif|left|thumb|Portsmouth Square c.1850]]
On October 18, 1850, the mail steamer ''Oregon'' entered the bay with a large [[Pennon|streamer]] flown from her mast. It bore the inscription "CALIFORNIA IS A STATE" with a large 5 pointed star at the end. It also flew an American flag with 31 stars on it, the flag was made in [[New York (state)|New York]].<ref name="California p.30-31">The Story of California & her flags to color, Vol. 2 p.30-31</ref><ref>S.F. Bulletin, February 5, 1869</ref>

On September 9, 1850, San Franciscans celebrated California's admission to the union with a parade. From the flagpole in [[Portsmouth Square]] they flew an American flag with one large star that represented the state.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Society |first=California Historical |date=2016-09-09 |title=This Day on September 9, 1850: California Joins the Union |url=https://californiahistoricalsociety.org/blog/this-day-on-september-9-1850-california-joins-the-union/ |access-date=2024-12-21 |website=California Historical Society |language=en-US}}</ref> 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 (artist)|William Henry Powell]]. The whole thing measuring at {{convert|8|ft|m|round=0.5}} wide and {{convert|12|ft}} long.<ref name=":22">{{Cite web |title=Los Angeles Herald 25 October 1910 — California Digital Newspaper Collection |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=LAH19101025.2.93.18&srpos=9&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN-+State+Seal+flag+------- |access-date=2025-01-20 |website=cdnc.ucr.edu}}</ref><ref name=":23">{{Cite web |title=Los Angeles Herald 27 October 1910 — California Digital Newspaper Collection |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=LAH19101027.2.92.46.3&srpos=45&e=-------en--20--41--txt-txIN-+State+Seal+flag+-------) |access-date=2025-01-20 |website=cdnc.ucr.edu}}</ref>

From 1850-1858 people across the country started flying the American flags with their 31 stars arranged in the "Grand Luminary" pattern.<ref name=":8">{{Cite web |title=ZFC - 05. Grand Luminary Flags, 1796 - 1912 |url=https://www.flagcollection.com/tour_listview.php?CollectionTour_Code=vip_grandluminaries |access-date=2024-12-21 |website=www.flagcollection.com}}</ref> This is when the stars in the [[Canton (flag)|canton]] are arranged to make one big star.<ref name=":8" />

During the [[1856 United States presidential election|1856 presidential election]] supporters of [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] nominee [[John C. Frémont|Fremont]] raised a Bear Flag in San Francisco,<ref name=":24">{{Cite web |title=San Joaquin Republican 25 July 1856 — California Digital Newspaper Collection |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SRP18560725.2.9.1&srpos=21&e=------185-en--20--21--txt-txIN-Flag+Inscription------- |access-date=2025-01-01 |website=cdnc.ucr.edu}}</ref> also one raised in [[Marysville, California|Marysville]] but with the names: "Fremont and [[William L. Dayton|Dayton]]," on it.<ref name=":25">{{Cite web |title=Empire County Argus 30 August 1856 — California Digital Newspaper Collection |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=ECA18560830.2.7&srpos=37&e=------185-en--20--21--txt-txIN-Bear+Flag------- |access-date=2025-01-01 |website=cdnc.ucr.edu}}</ref><gallery>
File:California Statehood flag (1850).png|Streamer flown by the ''Oregon'', 1850<ref name="California p.30-31"/>
File:California statehood flag (1850).png|31 star American flag flown from the ''Oregon'', 1850<ref name="California p.30-31"/>
File:31 star US flag Grand Luminary star pattern for California.png|Digital remake of a 31 star American flag with a Grand Luminary star pattern<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rare Flags - Antique American Flags, Historic American Flags |url=http://rareflags.com/RareFlags_Showcase_IAS_00405.htm |access-date=2024-12-21 |website=rareflags.com}}</ref>
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<ref name=":27">{{Cite web |last=Society |first=California Historical |date=2016-09-09 |title=This Day on September 9, 1850: California Joins the Union |url=https://californiahistoricalsociety.org/blog/this-day-on-september-9-1850-california-joins-the-union/ |access-date=2024-12-21 |website=California Historical Society |language=en-US}}</ref>{{FIAV|historical}} {{FIAV|defacto}}
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<ref name=":28">{{Cite web |title=ZFC Item Details - U.S. 31 Stars Flag, California joins the Union. |url=https://www.flagcollection.com/itemdetails.php?CollectionItem_ID=179 |access-date=2024-12-21 |website=www.flagcollection.com}}</ref>
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<ref name=":30">[https://books.google.com/books?id=zxUVAAAAYAAJ&vq=flag&source=gbs_navlinks_s A History of California and an Extended History of Los Angeles and Environs, by James Miller Guinn, p. 230]</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Daily Pacific News 30 October 1850 — California Digital Newspaper Collection |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=DPN18501030.2.7&srpos=157&e=------185-en--20--141--txt-txIN-Flag+motto------- |access-date=2024-12-28 |website=cdnc.ucr.edu}}</ref>
File:American Flag with Red and Yellow stripes, California.png|Digital reconstruction of a unique 31 star American flag with red & yellow stripes, 1851<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sacramento Transcript 5 May 1851 — California Digital Newspaper Collection |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=ST18510505.2.13&srpos=3&e=------185-en--20--1--txt-txIN-Flag+Inscribed------- |access-date=2025-02-14 |website=cdnc.ucr.edu}}</ref>
File:Lone star Californian flag, July 4, 1852, Plumas County, California.png|Digital reconstruction of the "Lone Star" flag flown in [[Plumas County, California|Plumas County]] on July 4, 1852. It was described by [[Louise Clappe]]<ref name=":29">[https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services//service/gdc/calbk/146.pdf The Shirley letters from California mines in 1851-52, by Louise Clappe, "''July 4th, 1852''"]</ref>
</gallery>

=== The Civil War period ===
<gallery>
File:1860 Republican National Convention flag.png|Flag used by California's delegates at the [[1860 Republican National Convention]]<ref>[https://antiquescouncil.com/antiques/index.php?page=out&id=2404 31 STARS ARRANGED IN A RARE VARIATION OF THE GREAT STAR PATTERN, WITH THE WORD "CALIFORNIA" PAINTED IN THE STRIPES, A PRE-CIVIL WAR FLAG, CALIFORNIA STATEHOOD, 1850-1858, PART OF A SERIES OF THESE FLAGS, THOUGHT TO HAVE BEEN USED AT THE WIGWAM CONVE]</ref>
File:Lincoln's California campaign flag (c1860-1861).png|Digital reconstruction of the flag carried by California delegates to [[Washington, D.C.|Washington D.C.]], 1861 (based on description)<ref>''Times Gazette'', 6 April 1861</ref>{{FIAV|reconstructed}}
File:Confederate bear flag.png|Digital reconstruction of bear flag flown by secessionists In Los Angeles, 1861 (based on description)<ref name=":0" />{{FIAV|reconstructed}}
File:Pro-union California Bear Flag (1861).png|Digital reconstruction of the pro-union bear flag that flew in Stockton, 1861 (based on description)<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":5" /><ref name=":6" />{{FIAV|reconstructed}}
File:Flag of California (1861).png|Digital reconstruction of the 1861 state flag made for the San Francisco Board of Supervisors (based on description)<ref name=":3" />{{FIAV|historical}}{{FIAV|reconstructed}}
File:California's 1862 state banner.png|Digital reconstruction of 1862 state banner that hung in San Francisco (based on description)<ref name=":32">{{Cite web |title=Daily Alta California 15 September 1862 — California Digital Newspaper Collection |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=DAC18620915.2.5&srpos=46&e=------186-en--20-DAC-41-byDA.rev-txt-txIN-Flag+American+----1862--- |access-date=2025-04-28 |website=cdnc.ucr.edu}}</ref>{{FIAV|reconstructed}}
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)<ref name=":3" />{{FIAV|reconstructed}}
File:Pacific Republic flag (1861).png|Digital reconstruction of the Pacific Republic flag, 1861 (based on description)<ref>{{Cite book |last=Guinn |first=James Miller |url=https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=zxUVAAAAYAAJ&pg=GBS.PA32&hl=en |title=A History of California and an Extended History of Los Angeles and Environs: Also Containing Biographies of Well-known Citizens of the Past and Present |date=1915 |publisher=Historic Record Company |oclc=3850623 |pages=210 |language=en}}</ref>{{FIAV|reconstructed}}
</gallery>
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.<ref name="Tinkham">{{Cite book |last=Tinkham |first=George Henry |title=California men and events: time 1769–1890 |date=1915 |publisher=Record Publishing Company |edition=revised 2nd |location=Stockton, California |hdl=2027/yale.39002006519285}}</ref>{{rp|194–195}} 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."<ref name=":0">''Daily Alta California'', 22 June 1861</ref><ref>''Sacramento Daily Union'', 24 June 1861</ref> Duncan Beaumont raised a [[Pacific Republic]] flag from his boat in the [[Stockton, California|Stockton]] to show his loyalty to secession. A party of men raised a banner containing a small [[Flag of the United States|American flag]] in the top corner and in the center a huge [[Bald eagle|eagle]] with a [[grizzly bear]] below it.<ref name=":1">''History of San Joaquin County, California,'' by Tinkham, George H. p. 181</ref> It was cut down by a different group of loyal unionists later in the day.<ref name=":4">''San Joaquin Republican'', 18 January 1861</ref> 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.<ref name=":5">''Daily Alta California'', 20 January 1861</ref><ref name=":6">''Sacramento Daily Union'', 20 March 1861</ref> Soon secessionist across the state started raising other flags to express their sympathy for the Confederacy. These include: [[Flag of South Carolina|Palmetto flags]],<ref>''Daily Alta California'', 20 February 1861</ref><ref name="Nevada Democrat, 20 June 1861">''Nevada Democrat'', 20 June 1861</ref> 7 stars flags,<ref>''Sacramento Daily Union'', 12 June 1861</ref> [[Flags of the Confederate States of America|Stars and Bars]],<ref name=":7" /> [[Gadsden flag|rattlesnake flags]],<ref>''Sacramento Daily Union'' 3 May 1861</ref><ref name="Nevada Democrat, 20 June 1861"/> and 15-24 star US flags.<ref>''San Joaquin Republican'', 14 May 1861</ref><ref>''Daily Alta California'', 22 October 1864</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Los Angeles Star 1 June 1861 — California Digital Newspaper Collection |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=LASTAR18610601.1.2&e=------186-en--20--661-byDA-txt-txIN-Company+flag----1861--- |access-date=2024-12-12 |website=cdnc.ucr.edu |page=2}}</ref> Not to be outdone, Unionists raised several flags to show support for the United States. The flags were the [[Flag of the United States|Stars and stripes]]<ref>''Marysville Daily Appeal'', 19 June 1862</ref> (Sometimes with patriotic mottos),<ref>''Sacramento Daily Union'', 2 May 1861</ref><ref>''Mountain Democrat'', 6 July 1861</ref> Union club flags,<ref>''Sacramento Daily Union'', 25 June 1861</ref> Militia flags,<ref>{{Cite web |title=ZFC Item Details - U.S. 33 Star "Eagle Canton" Militia National Color |url=https://www.flagcollection.com/itemdetails.php?CollectionItem_ID=8 |access-date=2024-11-27 |website=www.flagcollection.com}}</ref><ref>''Daily Alta California,'' 22 February 1862</ref> [[Flag of Germany|German flags]],<ref>''Marysville Daily Appeal'', 23 February 1864</ref><ref>''Daily Alta California'', 11 March 1864</ref> and [[Green harp flag|Irish flags]].<ref>''Daily Alta California'', 24 February 1861</ref><ref>''Marysville Daily Appeal'', 18 March 1864</ref><ref>''Daily Alta California'', 14 October 1864</ref>

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.<ref name="Tinkham" /> On July 4, 1861, during U.S. Independence Day celebrations in [[Sacramento]], Democrat and veteran Maj. J. P. Gillis celebrated the independence of the United States from Great Britain and the secession of the Confederacy by unfurling a flag based on the first Confederate flag, the [[Flags of the Confederate States of America|Stars and Bars]], but containing seventeen stars rather than the Confederate banner's seven, and marching down the street to the cheers of pro-slavery individuals.<ref>{{Cite web |title=California's Secessionist Impulse |url=https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=26834 |access-date=2018-11-05 |website=CA State Parks |language=en}}</ref> 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."<ref name=":7">{{Cite web |title=The Biderman Flag |url=http://www.militarymuseum.org/BidermanFlag.html |access-date=2016-04-14 |website=MilitaryMuseum.org}}</ref> The flag is preserved in the [[California State Capitol|state capitol]].

The state's regimental flags were outline by [[California National Guard#Adjutants General of California|Adjutant General]] [[William Chauncey Kibbe]] in '''[special order, No. 2.]''':<ref>''Daily Alta California'', 2 September 1861</ref>

{{Blockquote|text=The first or national color for Infantry shall be the same as that described for the garrison flag of the United States Army, with this exception: the name and number of the regiment shall be embroidered with silver on the centre strips.

The second regimental color for Infantry shall be the same as those for the Infantry in the United States Army, except that the arms of the United States shall be on one side and the arms of the state of California on the ether, with the number and description of the Regiment on a scroll beneath.

The regimental  Standard for Cavalry shall be the same at that for Cavalry of the United States Army, with the exceptions noted in the descriptions of the color for Infantry.

The silk or the Guidons for Cavalry shall be of the fame colors and be cut to the same dimensions as those used in the Cavalry of the United States. On the red, the letter C. V. in white, with the number of the regiment in white above these letters; and on the white, the letter of the Company In red.|author=Adjutant General William Chauncey Kibbe|source=}}

[[File:Flag of California (1864).png|thumb|Digital reconstruction of the state flag flown in the [[San Francisco Bay Area|Bay area]] in 1864 from newspaper accounts<ref name=":2" />{{FIAV|historical}} ]]
In June 1861, the [[San Francisco Board of Supervisors]] ordered three flags to be made by Norcross. One of them was based on the first state flag, with the "[[Great Seal of California|California Coat of arms]]" added to its field. It cost $50 ($1,826 adjusted for inflation) to make and was hung in the chamber of the board of supervisors with the other two flags.<ref name=":3">''Daily Alta California'', 25 June 1861</ref> A year later a banner of similar design was hung in the city, but the seal was encircled by small American flags.<ref name=":32" />

On July 14, 1864, a party under Gen. McDowell took a ship around the Bay Area to inspect the fortifications. The ship, called ''The Goliah'', flew the flag of the United States and a state flag described as "...a body of red with a large circle in the centre, representing the great [[Great Seal of California|seal of the State]]."<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Daily Alta California 14 July 1864 — California Digital Newspaper Collection |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=DAC18640714.2.2|access-date=2024-10-16 |website=cdnc.ucr.edu}}</ref>

=== 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.<ref name=":33" />

In February 1870, a man named Joseph Neuman produced 2 unique American flags with golden stars. One was for the [[California State Capitol|State Capitol]] and the other for the [[United States Capitol|National Capitol]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=California Farmer and Journal of Useful Sciences 10 February 1870 — California Digital Newspaper Collection |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=CF18700210.2.15&srpos=3&e=------187-en--20--1--txt-txIN-Neuman's+California+silk+flag------ |access-date=2025-01-27 |website=cdnc.ucr.edu}}</ref> The one for Washington was never given after the bill in the state house failed to raise money for the trip.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sacramento Daily Union 28 February 1872 — California Digital Newspaper Collection |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SDU18720228.2.15&srpos=1&e=------187-en--20--1--txt-txIN-Neuman's+California+silk+flag------- |access-date=2025-01-27 |website=cdnc.ucr.edu}}</ref> They were describe as:
[[File:Joseph Neuman's Californian flag.png|thumb|Digital reconstruction of the American flag made by Joseph Neuman for the state capitol{{FIAV|historical}} {{FIAV|defacto}}]]
{{Blockquote|text=...The value, intrinsically, of these two Flags, manufactured thus with extra care, as emblems for our own State and for our National Capitol, is Five Thousand Dollars, and we, as a citizen of California, feel proud, with thousands of others, that California will thus have floating over the Dome of our National Congress such a proud emblem of California...|author=California Farmer and Journal of Useful Sciences, 10 February 1870}}
[[File:1894_California_Bear_Flag.jpg|thumb|Etching of the Bear Flag flown in San Jose, 1894 <ref>{{Cite web |title=San Jose Mercury-news 9 September 1894 — California Digital Newspaper Collection |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SJMN18940909.2.18&e=------189-en--20--21--txt-txIN-Bear+flag------- |access-date=2025-01-27 |website=cdnc.ucr.edu}}</ref>]]

The Bear Flag flown throughout the 1870s was usually a brown bear on a plain white field with no star or stripe.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sacramento Daily Union 10 June 1872 — California Digital Newspaper Collection |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SDU18720610.2.22.1&srpos=246&e=------187-en--20--241--txt-txIN-Bear+Flag------- |access-date=2025-01-27 |website=cdnc.ucr.edu}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Marysville Daily Appeal 13 September 1884 — California Digital Newspaper Collection |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=MDA18840913.2.20&srpos=36&e=------188-en--20--21--txt-txIN-Bear+flag------- |access-date=2025-01-27 |website=cdnc.ucr.edu}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Daily Alta California 19 December 1879 — California Digital Newspaper Collection |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=DAC18791219.2.49&srpos=66&e=------187-en--20--61--txt-txIN-Bear+Flag------- |access-date=2025-01-27 |website=cdnc.ucr.edu}}</ref> The flag was used by the [[Native Sons of the Golden West]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sonoma Democrat 9 September 1885 — California Digital Newspaper Collection |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SD18850909.2.41&srpos=129&e=------188-en--20--121--txt-txIN-Bear+flag------- |access-date=2025-01-27 |website=cdnc.ucr.edu}}</ref> and other pioneer organizations.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Associated Pioneers of the Territorial Days of California |url=https://oac.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/kt7b69n8n6/?brand=oac4 |access-date=2025-01-27 |website=oac.cdlib.org |language=en}}</ref> Sometimes it was given as a trophy for [[Boat racing|boat races]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Daily Alta California 12 September 1877 — California Digital Newspaper Collection |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=DAC18770912.2.16&srpos=189&e=------187-en--20--181--txt-txIN-Bear+Flag------- |access-date=2025-01-27 |website=cdnc.ucr.edu}}</ref> or used as a [[Commodore (United States)|commodore]] flag.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Daily Alta California 13 April 1871 — California Digital Newspaper Collection |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=DAC18710413.2.4&srpos=24&e=------187-en--20--21--txt-txIN-Bear+Flag------- |access-date=2025-01-27 |website=cdnc.ucr.edu}}</ref>  In 1885 the Bear Flag was first officially used to represent state during the [[Southern Exposition]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Napa County Reporter 21 August 1885 — California Digital Newspaper Collection |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=NCR18850821.2.79&srpos=252&e=------188-en--20--241--txt-txIN-Bear+flag------- |access-date=2025-01-27 |website=cdnc.ucr.edu}}</ref> and later in [[World's Columbian Exposition|1893 World's Columbian Exposition]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Expositor 2 May 1893 — California Digital Newspaper Collection |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=FDE18930502.2.30&srpos=70&e=------189-en--20--61--txt-txIN-Bear+flag------- |access-date=2025-01-27 |website=cdnc.ucr.edu}}</ref> California's National Guard carried regimental flags with the state seal on them,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Stockton Mail 2 August 1886 — California Digital Newspaper Collection |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SM18860802&dliv=userclipping&cliparea=1.3,2368,2504,545,583&factor=2&e=------188-en--20--1401--txt-txIN-Bear+flag------- |access-date=2025-01-27 |website=cdnc.ucr.edu}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Los Angeles Herald 22 January 1902 — California Digital Newspaper Collection |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=LAH19020122.2.184&srpos=6&e=-------en--20-LAH-1--txt-txIN-+State+Seal+flag+------- |access-date=2025-01-27 |website=cdnc.ucr.edu}}</ref> from 1879 until 1907.<ref name=":33">{{Cite web |title=Morning Press 4 February 1879 — California Digital Newspaper Collection |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=MP18790204.2.2&srpos=2002&e=-------en--20--2001--txt-txIN-State+flag+banner+------- |access-date=2025-03-02 |website=cdnc.ucr.edu}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Hanford Sentinel 28 March 1907 — California Digital Newspaper Collection |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=HS19070328.2.129&srpos=121&e=-------en--20--121--txt-txIN-regiment+flag+------- |access-date=2025-01-27 |website=cdnc.ucr.edu}}</ref> 
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..."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Los Angeles Herald 27 May 1888 — California Digital Newspaper Collection |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=LAH18880527.2.8&srpos=469&e=-------en--20-LAH-461--txt-txIN-seal+flag------- |access-date=2025-04-15 |website=cdnc.ucr.edu}}</ref>
[[File:Sonoma_Barracks_1896.jpg|left|thumb|Sonoma Barracks in 1896<ref>{{Cite web |title=Napa Register (Weekly) 19 June 1896 — California Digital Newspaper Collection |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=TNR18960619.2.4&srpos=11&e=------189-en--20--1--txt-txIN-Bear+flag------- |access-date=2025-01-27 |website=cdnc.ucr.edu}}</ref>]]
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 [[Californios|vaqueros]] [[lasso]]ing a grizzly bear, the peaks of [[Mount Shasta]] showing in the distance....Great seal of California...[[Polaris|The north star]], with grizzly bear In foreground..."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Daily Alta California 11 July 1890 — California Digital Newspaper Collection |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=DAC18900711.2.15&srpos=45&e=------189-en--20--41--txt-txIN-+State+Seal+flag+------- |access-date=2025-01-27 |website=cdnc.ucr.edu}}</ref> Two years later a Bear Flag was hung in Los Angeles that was similar to the modern state flag.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Los Angeles Herald 27 April 1892 — California Digital Newspaper Collection |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=LAH18920427.2.25&srpos=7&e=------189-en--20--1--txt-txIN-Bear+flag------- |access-date=2025-01-27 |website=cdnc.ucr.edu}}</ref> 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,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sonoma Democrat 20 June 1896 — California Digital Newspaper Collection |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SD18960620.2.2&srpos=2&e=------189-en--20--1--txt-txIN-Bear+flag------- |access-date=2025-01-27 |website=cdnc.ucr.edu}}</ref> which is still in the [[Sonoma Barracks]].
[[File:7th_Regiment_California_Infantry,_Regimental_Flag_1898.jpg|thumb|Flag carried during the Spanish-American War<ref name=":31">{{Cite web |title=Los Angeles Herald 15 May 1898 — California Digital Newspaper Collection |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=LAH18980515.2.243&srpos=81&e=-------en--20--81--txt-txIN-regiment+flag+------- |access-date=2025-01-27 |website=cdnc.ucr.edu}}</ref>]]
[[File:California's_suffrage_flag's,_New_York_City.jpg|left|thumb|State flag on the right and a banner containing the state seal on the left, New York City 1912]]
When [[Spanish–American War|Spanish-American War]] started California troops carried two regimental flags, one that contain the state seal and the name of the regiment below.<ref name=":31" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=San Francisco Call 21 July 1898 — California Digital Newspaper Collection |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SFC18980721.2.54.3&srpos=38&e=------189-en--20--21--txt-txIN-+State+Seal+flag+------- |access-date=2025-01-27 |website=cdnc.ucr.edu}}</ref> The other was an American flag<ref>{{Cite web |title=San Francisco Call 3 November 1898 — California Digital Newspaper Collection |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SFC18981103.2.130&srpos=180&e=------189-en--20--161--txt-txIN-+State+flag+------- |access-date=2025-01-27 |website=cdnc.ucr.edu}}</ref> with name of the regiment in the stripes.<ref>{{Cite web |title=San Diego Union and Daily Bee 24 May 1898 — California Digital Newspaper Collection |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SDDU18980524.2.36&srpos=1&e=------189-en--20--1--txt-txIN-regiment+flag+------- |access-date=2025-01-27 |website=cdnc.ucr.edu}}</ref>

During the [[1904 Republican National Convention]], California delegates carried a banner bearing vertical stripes of purple, white and gold.<ref>{{Cite web |title=San Francisco Call 24 June 1904 — California Digital Newspaper Collection |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SFC19040624.2.37.1&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN-Alabama+State+flag+banner+------- |access-date=2025-04-15 |website=cdnc.ucr.edu}}</ref> 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.<ref>[https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SCDS19040825.1.1&srpos=341&e=-------en--20--341--txt-txIN-Coat+arms+flag+banner+------- ''Santa Cruz Surf'', 25 August 1904]</ref>  In 1909 the [[USS California (ACR-6)|USS ''California'']] was given two flags, one was a Bear Flag and other had the state seal on it.<ref>{{Cite web |title=San Francisco Call 5 September 1909 — California Digital Newspaper Collection |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SFC19090905.2.45&srpos=137&e=-------en--20--121--txt-txIN-+State+Seal+flag+------- |access-date=2025-01-27 |website=cdnc.ucr.edu}}</ref> Three years later the last state flag to contain the state seal was carried in a [[Women's suffrage|women suffrage parade]] in [[New York City]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=San Francisco Call 15 May 1912 — California Digital Newspaper Collection |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SFC19120515.2.128.2&srpos=145&e=-------en--20--141--txt-txIN-Bear+flag+-ILLUSTRATION------ |access-date=2025-01-27 |website=cdnc.ucr.edu}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Press Democrat 10 September 1933 — California Digital Newspaper Collection |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SRPD19330910.1.7&srpos=352&e=-------en--20--341--txt-txIN-seal+flag+banner+silk------- |access-date=2025-04-15 |website=cdnc.ucr.edu}}</ref>

==Flag of the governor==
[[File:Flag of the Governor of California.svg|thumb|left|The flag of the governor of California]]
{{See also|Flags of governors of the U.S. states}}
The flag of the [[governor of California]] consists of the [[seal of California]] centered on a field of [[Azure (heraldry)|azure]]. Like many [[Flags of governors of the U.S. states|other U.S. governors' flags]], there are four five-point stars at the corners of the field.
{{clear}}

==In popular culture==
The flag of California serves as a basis for the flag of the fictional [[New California Republic]] in the popular [[Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction|post-apocalyptic]] ''[[Fallout (franchise)|Fallout]]'' video-gaming franchise.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The History of FALLOUT's New California Republic |url=https://nerdist.com/article/the-history-of-fallout-new-california-republic-ncr/ |first=Michael|last=Wallace|date=April 26, 2024|access-date=July 18, 2024 |website=Nerdist |language=en-US}}</ref>
<gallery>
Flag of the New California Republic.svg|Flag of the [[New California Republic]]
</gallery>

==Gallery==
{{Multiple image
| align             = center
| image1            = Flag of California (1909).png
| image2            = Flag of California (1911–1924).png
| image3            = Flag of California (1912).png
| image4            = Flag of California (1924–1953).png
| footer            = Some examples of Californian state flags from the early 20th century (before the design was officially standardized in 1953) display multiple if minor degrees of variation
}}

{{Multiple image
| align             = center
| image1            = Storm_Bear_Flag.svg
| caption1          = Digital reproduction of the first Bear Flag
| image2            = 1stBearFlag.svg
| caption2          = Digital reproduction of Todd's Bear Flag
| image3            = Original Todd bear flag.jpg
| caption3          = Todd's original Bear Flag, fabricated and flown at the Sonoma revolt, photographed in 1890
}}

{{Multiple image
| align             = center
| image1            = US Navy 040723-N-8213G-176 USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) Sailors waive the California state flag symbolic of their new homeport at Naval Air Station North Island, San Diego, Calif.jpg
| caption1          = Sailors waving the flag in San Diego.
| image2            = Women's March SF Civic Center.jpg
| caption2          = The flag flying in front of [[San Francisco City Hall]]
| image3            = California Bicentennial 13c 1976 issue.jpg
| caption3          = The California state flag as depicted in the 1976 bicentennial postage stamp series.
}}

==See also==<!-- EDITORS NOTE: This section should primarily contain lists linked to the main article which are directly related to the flag. Thank you. -->
{{Portal|Heraldry|California}}
* [[List of California state symbols]]
* [[List of flags by design]]
* [[List of U.S. state, district, and territorial insignia]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{Cite book |last=Smilie, Robert A. |title=The Sonoma Mission, San Francisco Solano de Sonoma: The Founding, Ruin and Restoration of California's 21st Mission |publisher=Valley Publishers, Fresno, CA |year=1975 |isbn=0-913548-24-3}}
* {{Cite book |last=California. Legislature. Senate |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sUxNAAAAYAAJ&q=%22state%20ensign%22%20california&pg=PA327 |title=Journal of the Senate of the State of California, Volume 2 |publisher=State Printing Office |year=1912 |page=327}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Flags of California}} 
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20140101131835/http://www.bearflagmuseum.org/BancroftIntroTOC.html Hubert H. Bancroft's ''History of California, Vol. V. 1846-1848'']
* [http://www.vom.com/bearflag/REVOLT.HTM Creation of the Bear Flag.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080723220000/http://www.vom.com/bearflag/REVOLT.HTM |date=July 23, 2008 }}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050315055042/https://www.fotw.info/Flags/us-ca.html Flags of the World: California]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20210623221541/http://www.bearflagmuseum.org/ The Bear Flag Museum]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070628012821/http://www.dfg.ca.gov/projectwild/bear/33.pdf William Todd Quote on Bear Flag construction]
*{{Cite web |last=Ide |first=Simeon |year=1880 |title=A Sketch of the Life of William B. Ide |url=http://www.bearflagmuseum.org/Simeon%20Ide%20Life%20of%20William%20B%20Ide%20Table%20of%20Contents.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090504144454/http://www.bearflagmuseum.org/Simeon%20Ide%20Life%20of%20William%20B%20Ide%20Table%20of%20Contents.html |archive-date=May 4, 2009}}

{{US_state_flags}}
{{California}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:California, Flag of}}
[[Category:Symbols of California|Flag]]
[[Category:United States state flags]]
[[Category:Flags of California| ]]
[[Category:1911 establishments in California|Flag]]
[[Category:Flags introduced in 1911]]
[[Category:Flags displaying animals]]
[[Category:Bears in art]]
[[Category:Flags with stars]]