California Republic 3ft X 5ft Nylon Flag

California State Flag

One of our most popular flags, for its size and material, the California Republic 3ft x 5ft Nylon Flag is more than fit to wave in the great outdoors. This beautiful Bear Flag is one of the more unique flags we have in our inventory and would make a great addition to any collection. This flag comes with brass grommets for enhanced durability and a strong header for it to keep on keeping on. Also made with a heavyweight nylon that is equipped to take on whatever mother nature can throw at it. Proudly display your pride in the California Republic with the iconic Bear Flag. You can be confident this flag will look just as great indoors as it does outdoors.

What is California’s state flag? Colors?

The California state flag sees a grizzly bear walking to the left on a patch of green grass. a red five-point star in the upper left corner, “California Republic,” below the bear and a red stripe below that all on a white field. The official colors of the California state flag are White, Old Glory Red, Maple (light brown), Seal (a darker brown) and Irish Green.

What was the old California flag? A Brief History on the Vintage and Original flag of California

We can actually see an homage to the old California state flag, known as the Lone Star Flag in the current version with the red five-point star. Originally a single red five-point star on a white background was used to represent California. This was during a rebellion led by Juan Alvarado in 1836 in an attempt to gain California’s independence from Mexico, known aptly as the California independence Movement. Although Alvarado took the capital Monterey, he struggled to unify other leaders from around the territory. This led to the California area remaining under Mexican control and oversight. Variations of the Bear Flag were also used throughout California’s infancy.

What was the bear flag revolt?

The Bear Flag Revolt was a short-lived stint from June to July of 1846, when a small handful of Americans took on the Mexican government and declared California an independent republic. At the time, there was a huge influx of American settlers in Mexican controlled California territory. Mexican leaders were fearful of a rebellion from the settlers, obviously presuming they would not want to be under Mexican rule. American settlers were also distrustful of the Mexican leaders as the rising and bubbling up of tensions between the two countries (Mexico and the United States) was palpable, in turn, creating an atmosphere of uneasiness and wariness.

Mexican leaders and settlers alike would go on to grow more and more weary of each other with each side fearing the other was going to strike first. With the looming possibility of the impending war between Mexico and the United States underway, it’s clear to see why parties on both sides were so anxious and nervous.

An American officer by the name of John Fremont would visit the area in the spring of 1846 under the guise of scientific survey. It was during this visit that he would convince citizens and settlers to form their own militias stating that war was indeed on the horizon.

June 14th, 1846, a group of 30 led by William Ide and Ezekiel Merritt would go on to take over a large outpost, albeit one that possessed no real defenses. This would be the home of retired Mexican general Mariano Vallejo. Vallejo was quite confused by the situation as he was a major proponent of the annexation of California by the United States. The group would arrest Vallejo and his family as prisoners of war after Vallejo had invited the men in for drinks. Vallejo and his family would all eventually be released just over three weeks later. There would be another victory for the group in Sonoma with no blood spilt, it was here where we see the first iterations of the Bear Flag come to life. This flag would see a red star and a crude drawing of a bear with the words California Republic underneath it.

Fremont would eventually go on to lead the “Bear Flaggers,” after winning a couple smaller conflicts with Mexican forces on July 1st. It would be six days later that Fremont would discover the American flag had officially been raised in Monterey and that the United States had declared war on Mexico on May 13, 1846, a couple months prior. With the “Bear Flaggers,” main objective fulfilled to make California a part of the United States, there was no reason for them to keep their Republic going. In just under a month from its inception, the California Republic would be no more, and the Bear Flag Revolt had done its due diligence.

When did California become independent from Mexico?

It was on July 7th, 1846, that Commodore John Sloat and his naval forces had taken over Monterey and had declared California in the name of the United States. California would go on to become the 31st state on September 9th, 1850.

Why is or was California known as the Bear Flag Republic?

The reason why California was known as the Bear Flag Republic is because of the brief period of time when California was in fact, its own independent nation. This was a result of the Bear Flag Revolt which took place from June to July 1846.

To read up more on the history of California and the California flag, check out our California state flag landing page. There is information covering some of the same questions we have here, as well as some more q and a to help quench your thirst for knowledge on the Bear Flag Republic.