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Archive 1

hahaha

danmark er .. The popular urban legend site Snopes[1] asserts as true the suggestion that the flag was originally to have a pear, rather than a bear. Ferg2k 21:16, 5 September 2005 (UTC)

Er, no it doesn't. -EDM 05:52, 17 September 2005 (UTC)
Yes it does. --65.211.7.138 15:36, 16 January 2006 (UTC)
It does, but it is also one of their made-up legends.[2]Shsilver 16:19, 16 January 2006 (UTC)

Explanation of Snopes web spoof

Snopes explains that the pear/bear story is a spoof here. NorCalHistory 15:16, 31 January 2007 (UTC)

Thank you, I have learned my lesson :) Somaticvibe 21:35, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

design

This flag looks like very soviet: the russian bear with the red star of communism. Were there any plans to replace it during the Cold War?

No reason why they would - the bear flag dates back to the 1840s, half a century before the bolshevik revolution in Russia and long before the star became associated with communism... Martan 14:06, 3 November 2006 (UTC)
The design does look similar to flags designed and in use by communist states, but the its entirely coincidence. Though I have heard it referred as supposed "evidence" of California's socialist/communist political leanings in political discussion, so its likely there is a urban legend around concerning this. There never have been plans to replace the flag entirely, only to remove the word republic. KeoniPhoenix 15:59, 29 July 2007 (UTC)
The red star on a white field was the traditional flag of independence used in California before the Bear Flag Revolt. It is no surprise it was part of the Bear Flag. The Republic of West Florida used a single white star in a blue field while Texas used a yellow star in a blue field for the Burnet Flag. A yellow star on a red field is typically associated with socialism. Oklahoma changed its flag due to a white star upon a red field. Although it was not the "socialist colors", it was close enough to cause controversy. -DevinCook (talk) 00:47, 15 January 2008 (UTC)

The flag is very similar in design to the city flag of Berlin--which is also predominantly white, with a red lower border, and a bear. Is this just co-incidence?

The flag of Berlin appears while similar, is more rooted in the city's older symbol, its coat of arms. KeoniPhoenix 15:59, 29 July 2007 (UTC)

Blazon

How might you blazon this flag in heraldry?

I suppose a white field with a standing bear beneath a red star. --NEMT (talk) 00:02, 3 January 2008 (UTC)
There is no official blazon for the flag and it would be original research to come up with one and place it on the article. User:Zscout370 (Return Fire) 00:54, 15 January 2008 (UTC)

Cuffy bear copyvio?

It's possible that this paragraph may be a copyright violation:

Two days later Navy Lt. Joseph Warren Revere arrived in Sonoma and hauled down the Bear Flag, running up in its place the Stars and Stripes. Revere handed the Bear Flag to Midshipman John E. Montgomery, who, because the flag snagged a few times as it was lowered, would later write in a letter to his mother "Cuffy came down growling"—"Cuffy" being his nickname for the bear on the flag.

I found the same text at http://www.vom.com/bearflag/afterrev.html. It's also possible that the vom.com site did the taking, since the modification date on their page is November 2005 and the text was added in the January 2004 version of this article. The earliest vom.com version in the Wayback Machine is from May 2006 and shows the same modification date as the version currently on their site. Mike Dillon 19:10, 22 December 2006 (UTC)

Hmmm. I just noticed that the revision I cited also added a reference to http://www.vom.com/bearflag/REVOLT.HTM... Wayback Machine shows the "Cuffy" text in the February 2, 1998 version of http://www.vom.com/bearflag/afterrev.htm, so I guess it is a copyvio. Mike Dillon 19:16, 22 December 2006 (UTC)
We'd have to double-check that there isn't some still earlier PD source, such as the Bancroft text, or a Calif. state (PD) source for the sentences. NorCalHistory 02:53, 23 December 2006 (UTC)
I was mainly just trying to see if it was accurate that "cuffy" was Montgomery's nickname for the bear and not a more general nickname for bears when I came across the text. It seems not since there were a number of children's books by Arthur Scott Bailey in 1929 called "The Tale of Cuffy Bear and..." (e.g. The Tale of Cuffy Bear and the Circus). See http://www.hstreasures.com/arthurscottbailey.html. It's possible that Bailey got the name from a California history text, but that seems doubtful. Mike Dillon 03:03, 23 December 2006 (UTC)

The actual text of the John E. Montgomery letter may read either "Cuffy" or "Cubby." The handwriting is difficult to interpret. Obviously "Cubby" for a bear cub makes more sense, but I have seen nothing in the literature which clarifies for me, at least, which of the names is what was written. For clarity sake, Montgomery's letter written in July 1846 is unquestionably copyright free. The Bear Flag Museum, 15:33, 21 May 2008 (UTC)

New flag next week

The proportions of the current flag image are correct, but the rendering of the bear does not follow the drawing specified in picture in Californa Law. I will redraw the bear next week.-DevinCook (talk) 02:11, 19 December 2008 (UTC)

Ok. User:Zscout370 (Return Fire) 02:16, 19 December 2008 (UTC)

Flag in SVG format

Updated again!

Hello! Neither of these Bear Flag images are "accurate." The green plat on which the bear stands has twelve(12) tufts of grass according to the State law. These images do not have 12 tufts of grass. Someone may want to locate a correct image of the flag. Also, just for reference the words are supposed to be in the same dark brown as is used on the bear, not black as is quite common. Thanks for listening. William J. Trinkle, Executive Director, The Bear Flag Museum, www.BearFlagMuseum.org —Preceding unsigned comment added by 63.197.76.235 (talk) 21:28, 16 December 2008 (UTC)

Can you post the link for the turfs of grass? I created the currently used SVG of the flag. I want to make it compliant with California State Law. -DevinCook (talk) 22:45, 16 December 2008 (UTC)
Sorry, I just checked out the references on the site. I will update the image later this week. -DevinCook (talk) 22:48, 16 December 2008 (UTC)
The flag image was updated. I modified the proportion of the text, grass, number of tuffs and simplified the shading of the bear.-DevinCook (talk) 01:37, 17 December 2008 (UTC)
I just uploaded a new version of the flag. I manually redrew the flag using the image found in California Law 54-J-03. This includes the outline of the bear, shading of the light-brown as well as the grass plot and tufts of dirt. -DevinCook (talk) 08:19, 24 December 2008 (UTC)

Monarch the Grizzly

A lot of websites claim that the current rendering of the bear on the flag, as redesigned in 1953 or 1955, is based on the mounted body of Monarch the Grizzly, a bear kept in captivity in San Francisco until his death in 1911. The official California gov pages don't seem to corroborate this story anywhere though. Anybody have a reliable source for this story? --Chinasaur

http://www.monarchbear.org/monarch/index.html -DevinCook (talk) 06:35, 13 December 2008 (UTC)

Please check out the following article on the person who created the painting which serves as the foundation of the design of the California State Flag since it was standardized in 1953 http://www.bearflagmuseum.org/BearFlag2DonKelley%202.pdf. I hope this helps. William J. Trinkle, Exec. Dir., The Bear Flag Museum. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.137.203.241 (talk) 04:46, 16 April 2009 (UTC)

Typography

Quick comment: the typography looks off in the SVG. The California Library's original flag has less of a condensed typeface than the SVG. Also, the kerning is a little off -- but then again, so is the original flag. Cyung (talk) 02:26, 18 November 2009 (UTC)

Grizzly Bear is animal on flag

The following is the quote from the official State of California website about the California state flag:

"On June 14, 1846, a small band of settlers marched on the Mexican garrison at Sonoma and took the commandant, Mariano Vallejo, prisoner, They issued a proclamation which declared California to be a Republic independent of Mexico. This uprising became known as the Bear Flag Revolt after the hastily designed flag depicting a grizzly bear and a five pointed star over a red bar and the words "California Republic." The grizzly bear was a symbol of great strength while the lone star made reference to the lone Star of Texas. The flag only flew until July 9, 1846 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. It was adopted as the State Flag by the State Legislature in 1911." (Emphasis supplied.)

See Official State website.

1846 California flag. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.181.223.178 (talk) 08:21, 21 February 2010 (UTC)

In addition, the official "State Animal" is the "California Grizzly Bear." The following is the quote from the official State of California website about the State Animal:

"The California grizzly bear (Ursus californicus) was designated official State Animal in 1953. Before dying out in California, this largest and most powerful of carnivores thrived in the great valleys and low mountains of the state, probably in greater numbers than anywhere else in the United States. As humans began to populate California, the grizzly stood its ground, refusing to retreat in the face of advancing civilization. It killed livestock and interfered with settlers. Less than 75 years after the discovery of gold, every grizzly bear in California had been tracked down and killed. The last one was killed in Tulare County in August 1922, more than 20 years before the authority to regulate the take of fish and wildlife was delegated to the California Fish and Game Commission by the State Legislature."

See Official State website

Civil War

I moved the fact about the Bear Flag's user by sessions during the Civil War to the history section. Does anyone have a description or rendering of the design used? Also, I added information about the Gilles Flag, but I am uncertain if it belongs in this article.-DevinCook (talk) 05:47, 11 March 2010 (UTC)

Red Star

The red star was put on the CA flag at the request of the Texas Rangers that helped the Californios before and durring the Mexican American War. The Texas Rangers helped settle Alta California. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Justin-san (talk • contribs) 22:07, 12 June 2008 (UTC)

And this theory has been soundly put down to rest, and debunked! See the reference in the article page.207.114.206.48 (talk) 06:24, 12 December 2008 (UTC)
The red star was first used in 1836 by the first California rebellion. Also, the term "Lone Star" is used quite a bit during the California Revolution and the Texas Revolution. The concept of the lone star is not solely Texan. It is often used in the United States. The Republic of West Florida also used this symbol. -DevinCook (talk) 06:25, 13 December 2008 (UTC)

The references in the article to the Lone Star Flag of 1836 are inaccurate. First that 1836 flag is more commonly called the Alvarado Flag. It continues to exist and is held by the Autry National Center. I personally saw it last October. Further, no Bear Flagger statement which has been examined at all referenced the star on the Alvarado Flag as being the reason for the star on the Bear Flag. Virtually all of the Bear Flaggers were very recent emigrants to Alta California, most within a year of June 1846. It is highly unlikely they would have even heard about the 1836 uprising. I am very familiar with Flags Over California and believe its statement about the Alvarado Flag in reference to the Bear Flag is wholly unsupported and almost certainly insupportable. I suggest the Lone Star paragraph should be deleted from the article on the Flag of California.— Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.238.203.252 (talk • contribs) 22:19, 17 February 2011

Todd himself mentioned that the red star was based on the Alvarado flag. There is a quote in the Bancroft books - as well as descriptions of the other Bear Flags and the Ide's "official" design that never was created. Also, take the Flags of California document with a grain of salt. The picture of the "official" flag is not even remotely compliant with California law. That glaring error really damages the integrity of the document. -DevinCook (talk) 08:59, 19 February 2011 (UTC)

State Ensign

I have found two references that have referred to the Bear Flag as the/an "State Ensign". Both are from the State of California, and both are reliable sources:

  • Sergeant Mark J. Denger. "Flags of California's Naval Forces". The California Military Museum. California State Military Department. Retrieved 18 April 2011. 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.
  • Gregory, Tom (1912). "Story of the Bear Flag - How the State Ensign Came Into Being". Journal of the Senate of the State of California. 2. State Printing Office: 327–329. Retrieved 18 April 2011.

Now one can debate whether they term Ensign is being used in place of the general term Flag, or by the usage of State Ensign as the quote says from the first reference. However, if taken plainly, the information should be restored.

I shall ask interested users from the wikiprojects associated with this article to comment, in order to reach consensus.--RightCowLeftCoast (talk) 23:42, 18 April 2011 (UTC)

Sorry, LCRC, I perhaps missed an earlier discussion. Is it whether the Flag of California section should refer to the Bear Flag as the State Ensign? I should think not, unless it has been officially dedicated as such by the Legislature, the Governor or common usage. Sincerely, your Tejon Pass friend, GeorgeLouis (talk) 05:49, 20 April 2011 (UTC)
I had found reference (the first) referring to the State Flag as also the State Ensign (as far as the Naval Battalion is concerned as stated in the reference), therefore as I had a reliable source to back a change, I changed the FIAV to reflect the new information. It has since been reverted by another user who had changed it to this. Since there was a coding error, I reverted it. It was reverted once more and repaired by the reverting editor. Therefore, I am stating the documentation to verify my previous edit, rather than changing it again, and thus getting active users in this page into a an edit war, and seeking consensus to reinstate my previous edit. --RightCowLeftCoast (talk) 17:19, 20 April 2011 (UTC)
The edit RightCowLeftCoast made seemed to acknowledge the flag as both a flag and ensign (which it seemingly is as the bear flag is unique and distinguished to California). Thus, with the reliable reference provided, it would seem adequate for its inclusion in the infobox. 08OceanBeachS.D. 22:17, 20 April 2011 (UTC)
Thank you OB; I will make the change in one weeks time, if no other editors object. --RightCowLeftCoast (talk) 01:52, 21 April 2011 (UTC)
Without objection stated, change has been made, and references inserted into the article. --RightCowLeftCoast (talk) 02:33, 4 May 2011 (UTC)

Remove Gillis Flag from Article?

The Gillis Flag (while representative of Confederate sympathizers in California during the Civil War) may not be within the scope of this article. What does everyone think? Should it be removed? -DevinCook (talk) 15:25, 24 July 2012 (UTC)

I am fine with it being where it is. It is lower in the article, and thus is not given undue weight. However, if it is removed to say an article about the Flags of the Confederate States of America, I can see leaving a wikilink in the See also section.--RightCowLeftCoast (talk) 20:15, 24 July 2012 (UTC)
Agreed. It is already present in the article California in the American Civil War. -02:56, 30 July 2012 (UTC)
Now if there is a way to add it to Flags of the Confederate States of America#Other flags, and a link to it left in the See also section, I would be fine with removal.--RightCowLeftCoast (talk) 19:29, 30 July 2012 (UTC)

Pear flag hoax

I have reverted re-addition of the Bartlett Pear Flag hoax. It was added initially on the 6th, removed on the 7th, and re-added on the 8th. Per the Oakland Tribune the pear flag is a hoax. It is verified that the idea is out there, but it is WP:FRINGE. Wikipedia was recently in the news about having a fake war hosted by the project for years. We need not do it again here.--RightCowLeftCoast (talk) 14:31, 9 February 2013 (UTC)

This is backed by the Long Beach Press-Telegram.--RightCowLeftCoast (talk) 14:35, 9 February 2013 (UTC)

I have read the same thing. Snopes is not exactly a good source of reliable information. Its fun to see how many times the pear hoax reappears around April 1st. :-) -DevinCook (talk) 20:58, 9 February 2013 (UTC)

Now here is what I am thinking; I did a google book search for "pear flag" and I honestly believe what happened is that during the scans of the books, the B was faded so it looked like a P. I think we should confirm the hoax, but at most two sentences in a section about the flag's legacy (when that gets around to be made). User:Zscout370 (Return Fire) 03:31, 10 February 2013 (UTC)
Per FRINGE, we need to be careful about adding any undue weight to the hoax in this article. A sentence at most, if at all, I would think would be sufficient, any more and it will start getting into undue territory.--RightCowLeftCoast (talk) 14:26, 10 February 2013 (UTC)
That is why I said two sentences most, but until a section is made about the flag in culture/folklore or anything along those lines, it could be kept out. The article is still small compared to what it could be. User:Zscout370 (Return Fire) 06:54, 11 February 2013 (UTC)
Strange how Snopes claims it to be true. Could this be a case of a false story on Snopes? Snopes provide four sources in their article (all of which are books). --Svippong 18:26, 3 February 2014 (UTC)
Update: I totally missed that Snopes was mentioned. I guess it is then. --Svippong 18:28, 3 February 2014 (UTC)

The Snopes article is NOTa hoax that is designed to fool people. It is a spoof story, intended to prove the point that you can't trust everything you read online. It *looks* genuine, with references and everything, but did you click the "More information about this page" link at the bottom? It leads you here (http://www.snopes.com/lost/false.asp). Johnmc (talk) 02:22, 8 February 2014 (UTC)

Lone Star flag

The section "Lone Star Flag" is full of misinformation, and has been tagged. That "Alvarado" flag was never an official California flag. WCCasey (talk) 18:32, 25 December 2015 (UTC)

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Emoji-5 Unicode 10;input sting

From [Emojipedia US-CA];
The Flag for California (US-CA) emoji is a sequence of:
U+1F3F4 WAVING BLACK FLAG
U+E0075 TAG LATIN SMALL LETTER U
U+E0073 TAG LATIN SMALL LETTER S
U+E0063 TAG LATIN SMALL LETTER C
U+E0061 TAG LATIN SMALL LETTER A
U+E007F CANCEL TAG
These display as a single emoji on supported platforms with an appropriate font. IPhone X?
GSMC(Chief Mike) Kouklis U.S.NAVY Ret. ⛮🇺🇸 / 🇵🇭🌴 18:47, 9 November 2017 (UTC) [sample of the emoji] —  Mkouklis(2) (talk • contribs) 18:47, 9 November 2017 (UTC)

Flags not flown

I removed some flag decorations because there was no source that these flags were actually flown, or even carried, in California. Thanks to all of the editors on this page. BeenAroundAWhile (talk) 20:17, 28 March 2018 (UTC)

Colors

Colors per CA Govt Code § 420 (2018) are: "White—of the white field, front of bear’s eye, and on the bear’s claws is White, cable number 70001.  Red—of the red stripe, the star, and the bear’s tongue is Old Glory, cable number 70180.  Green—of the grass plot is Irish Green, cable number 70168.  Brown—of the bear is Maple Sugar, cable number 70129.  Dark brown—of the bear outline, paws, shading, fur undulations, iris of the eye, the 12 grass tufts in the grass plot, and the letters is Seal, cable number 70108." BiologicalMe (talk) 14:47, 9 December 2019 (UTC)

Similarities to Madrid Coat of Arms

Is not that curious that Californian flag looks similar to Madrid's coat of arms?

  • Madrid's original coat of arms
    Madrid's original coat of arms
  • Current coat of arms of Madrid
    Current coat of arms of Madrid
  • Calfornian Flag
    Calfornian Flag

Carel3DS (talk) 15:45, 16 June 2021 (UTC)

Flag of Teverga

The flags of California and Teverga bear (pun intended) a striking resemblance to one another:

The outline, leg/head positions are the same on both. Any reason for this...?—Wasabe3543 23:07, 19 May 2007 (UTC)

Actually, I looked on the official website for Teverga and the image of the bear with the same pose and proportions is on the the coat of arms. I would ponder to think that it's a stock heraldry charge, like the Griffin. I'm wondering which came first, though. Perhaps it's a carryover from it's days as a Spanish colony and the bear on the original Bear Flag is a crude approximation of it. Or maybe it was adapted from heraldry on the modern flag. --YoungFreud 05:19, 10 August 2007 (UTC)
The current Taverga bear could also have been inspired by the California bear. Maybe even designed by the same artist. Zyxwv99 (talk) 00:33, 26 September 2012 (UTC)
If I'm right, the bear of the flag of California looks very similar to Madrid's coat of arms, though there's no bear in its flag. I think there's a lot of cities/counties which have a bear in their flag/coat of arms in a similar pose as the bear of California flag. -- Carel3DS (talk) 16:56, 16 June 2021 (UTC)

Ridiculous addition

Average American is playing Joe McCarthy with the article, adding some drivel about leftist extremism and other such nonsense. (Apologies for not logging in.) 2604:CA00:15B:1DEA:0:0:660:51B5 (talk) 18:40, 19 February 2022 (UTC)

Request for image: Alvarado/lone star flag

Alvarado/lone star flag of California

Can somebody make a nice flag file/image from the Alvarado/lone star flag? The flag consisted of a single red star on a white background.

"Flags Over California: A History Guide" (PDF). California State Military Museum. State of California, Military Department. 2002. p. 2. Retrieved 2022-03-09. Except for a few brief months in late 1836 and early 1837, when a lone red star flag on a white background was raised in recognition of the efforts of Juan Bautista Alvarado and Isaac Graham's capture of Monterey from the Mexican government...

TuckerResearch (talk) 15:14, 9 March 2022 (UTC)

Thank you, @Evrik:. TuckerResearch (talk) 18:02, 27 April 2022 (UTC)

A file for the Alvarado/lone star flag already exists! File:Californian Lone Star Flag (1836).svg. I have added it to the article. TuckerResearch (talk) 18:21, 10 August 2022 (UTC)

Photo removed is of same item (taken by museum staff)

identical flag as shown in b-&-w image above "The 1836 Alvarado flag, possibly the oldest surviving flag of California. Courtesy of the Southwest Museum of the American Indian Collection, Autry National Center of the American West. 8.P.1."https://www.kcet.org/shows/lost-la/where-to-find-californias-oldest-flag-other-objects-in-socals-archives

user:Jeff in CA, Re diff: For what it's worth, the photo removed is of the same historical item at the museum but is a a color pic of it, taken by museum staff, rather than black-and-white (as taken in 1945 by Mark R. Harrington). --Hodgdon's secret garden (talk) 21:34, 20 August 2022 (UTC)+

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