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 Don Gaspar de
Portolá led an expedition in 1768
that established the first Presidio (military
fort) at San Diego and "discovered" San
Francisco Bay. He also established the first
Presidio at Monterey, in 1770. |
 California
Gold Rush On January
24, 1848, James Marshall was inspecting work on a
sawmill being built for John Sutter on the
American River near the present town of Coloma
when he saw gold flakes on the ground. By the
spring of 1849, the non-native population of
California had grown to almost 100,000 people,
the vast majority of whom were looking for gold. |
 Catalina
Island (also known as Santa Catalina Island)
lies about 22 miles south-southwest of Los
Angeles, in the Channel Islands archipelago. Los
Angeles County has governmental jurisdiction over
the island and is responsible for providing law
enforcement, fire, and other public services,
while the Catalina Island Conservancy maintains
the island's natural beauty. |
 Official
Symbols of California The "Bear Flag" of the
California Republic was first raised at Sonoma on
June 14, 1846, by a group of American settlers in
revolt against Mexican rule. The flag was
designed by William Todd. The star imitated the
"Lone Star" of Texas, while the grizzly
bear represented the many bears seen in the area.
The flag only flew until July 9, when it was
learned that Mexico and the United States were
already at war. Soon after, the Bear Flag was
replaced with the American flag. The "Bear
Flag" was adopted as the official state flag
by the 1911 State Legislature. |
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