The state flag of California

The flag of California originated in the flag of the California Republic, also called the Bear Flag Republic. This 'republic' was the result of a revolt by settlers from the United States on June 14, 1846, in the town of Sonoma against the authorities of the Mexican province of California and encouraged by the US military. The Republic lasted less than a month but eventually became the present-day state of California. The first official version of the Bear Flag was adopted by the California State Legislature and signed into law by Governor Hiram Johnson in 1911 as the official state flag. The 1911 statute stated that '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 standardised in a bill signed by Governor Earl Warren. The California State flag is often called the "Bear Flag" and in fact, the present statute adopting the flag, Gov. Code 420, states: 'The Bear Flag is the State Flag of California.' Monarch the bear is used as a basis for the California flag. The modern state flag is white with a wide red strip along the bottom. There is a red star in the upper left corner and a grizzly bear facing left (toward the hoist) in the center, walking on a patch of green grass. The bear depicted is a California grizzly bear, a subspecies that is now extinct. The size of the bear is 2/3 the size of the hoist width and has a ratio of 2 by 1. The five-point star is actually taken from the California Lone Star Flag of 1836. Contrary to what I say in the film about the Californian Grizzly being extinct by the time of the adoption of the flag, the bear on the current Flag of California was modeled on the last Californian Grizzly Bear in captivity. The bear, named Monarch, was captured at Samhain by newspaper reporter Allen Kelley. The bear was subsequently moved to Woodwards Gardens in San Francisco. After the bear's death in 1911, it was preserved at Academy of Sciences at Golden Gate Park.