When it came to this particular project, I think the making of the flag was the easiest part of the process. Even though I thought I knew a little about the original Bear Flag's origins, nothing could prepare me for the convoluted, contradictory and confusing history of its creation and possible creator(s) that my research uncovered. In order to keep this blog in the spirit of fun and discovery, I think it's best to start with an accurate but brief description of the events leading up to the flag's creation. What will follow is a pared down version of the original flag's long journey, its return home and it's eventual demise. Intersperced, will be lists of claimants who wished to share in the fame of its creation and an amazingly creative collection of what said claimants felt the original flag was made of. Finally, I will reveal my choices that led to what I feel is a viable replica of the lost original.
1890 photo of original Bear Flag from Barbara Warner's Book |
I would like to say that if I had stumbled onto Bill Trinkle's virtual Bear Flag Museum http://www.bearflagmuseum.org/ earlier, it would have saved me a lot of grief and saved Patricia Keats of the Society of California Pioneers http://www.californiapioneers.org/ a lot of paper. Mr. Trinkle's site is an incredible repository of Bear Flag history and well worth a visit to peel back the layers of stories regarding our State's banner. Patricia Keats is the Director of the Library at the Society of California Pioneers and without her help, my project would have never progressed. She generously copied and shared many rare documents that helped me chart the risky waters of our state flag's often muddied history.
The original Bear Flag was constructed sometime between June 14 and June 17, 1846 and was intended as a statement of revolution against the ruling Mexican authority. War between the U.S. and Mexico had begun and the once welcomed settlers, many of them Americans, felt compelled to take action. They truly believed they were about to be expelled from their homes. On June 14th, they seized the town of Sonoma , which at the time was the military center of Northern California. Their bloodless takeover was so successful that they spontaneously decided to declare California a "Republic". Every new republic needs a flag and so it came to be. The "Bear Flaggers" proudly raised their new flag in the Plaza of Sonoma and there it flew until July 9, 1846. The flag's basic design was a rectangle of natural cotton cloth with a red stripe sewn to the bottom. In the upper left corner was a painted red star and next to the star was a red bear, on all fours, facing the star. Under the star and bear, the words CALIFORNIA REPUBLIC.were written in ink.
On July 9th the Bear Flag was lowered and replaced with the Stars and Stripes by Navy Lt. Joseph Warren Revere ( yes, that Revere Family). Revere handed the rebel banner to an unamed Bear Flagger who was standing by. That person, in turn, handed it to 16 year old, John Elliot Montgomery. John worked on the ship U.S.S. Portsmouth as a clerk to his father the Commander and had accompanied the Navy squad to secure Sonoma for the United States. The Bear Flag traveled back to the Portsmouth in San Francisco bay, with the young Montgomery. From there the flag traveled with the ship, all the way back to the Boston Navy Yard and was stored away as a memento of the Mexican War. The Bear Flag movement was so ingrained into early California history that its legendary symbol was never quite forgotten by the pioneers.
1896 Replica at Sonoma State Historic Park |
I had promised to list many of the people who claimed to have been involved in the creation of some sort of Bear Flag during the events of the Bear Flag Revolt. Some disputed which one was the true or first Bear Flag or who was involved in the design or execution of the well known surviving flag. So here goes, William L. Todd, Henry L. Ford, William J. Scott, Ben Duell, Thomas Cowey (Cowan), Patrick McChristian, Granville P. Swift, Peter Storm, ____ Currie, Nancy Kelsey, Chepa Mathews, Mrs.John Sears, Mrs.W.B.Elliot, Mrs.William Hudson, Mr.J. Grigsby. Next is a list of the various materials supposedly used in the Bear Flag's creation. I gleaned these from all the accounts I found , white cotton, brown domestic, unbleached domestic, Chilean flour sack, white petticoat, manta cloth, coarse cotton, red flannel (petticoat), red flannel (man's shirt), blackberry juice-brick dust-oil, poke berries, rusty nails, Venitian red, red chalk, Spanish brown, black ink, charcoal and grease, lampblack.
Montgomery's drawing courtesy of Society of California Pioneers |
To this day, the one myth that survives, is that Nancy Kelsey was the Betsy Ross of the Bear Flag. A contemporary play has even been written about her involvement. There is a story that she might have been involved in helping Peter Storm craft a bear flag before June 14, 1846. A possible contender for the "first" bear flag, but there in no evidence that she was involved in helping create the Todd flag.
My replica photo Lindy Miller 2011 |
Now the best part of the story for those that don't know. The Bear Flag became our official State flag in 1911, so this year marks the 100th anniversary of the Flag of the Pioneers as our State's Banner. Although the current version is an "improved" facsimile of the original, the key elements remain.
Nice blog.
ReplyDeleteNice to see:
1. Photo of original
2. Photo of replica
and as a bonus:
3. Montgomery's drawing
4. and your replica
Thanks
oh and happy "100" Bear Flag Day :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the vote of confidence and appreciation. It is always nice to find that our work at the Bear Flag Museum has been appreciated.
ReplyDeleteBill Trinkle, Exec. Director
www.BearFlagMuseum.org
Hi Jim,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing all your work. I have a question about your view of Todd's description. I also am a fan of Trinkle's Museum and have read Todd's description there in his letter of 1878.
In the letter Todd says "If it is the one that I painted, it will be known by a mistake in tinting out the words "California Republic." The letters were first lined out with a pen, and I left out the letter I, and lined out the letter C in its place. But afterward I lined out the letter I over the C so that the last syllable of "Republic" looks as if the two last letters were blended. "
It is the very last part that has me scratching my head. I am inclined to think that this means that in the final version of the flag it still looked like the "i" and the "c" were touching. This suggests to me that the flag in Warner's book is also a copy.
I would be very interested to hear your view on this.
I know you addressed the issue in a different way--as if the outlining of the mistake were left but the final filled-in letters were corrected. I appreciate the pains you took to research the various histories and the decisions you made in crafting the replica and to my mind seem to know more about it that most--thus my question.
I am an artist using the flag as a starting point to make paintings (meaning though I'm interested in the truth of the original flag my own versions do not attempt to recreate the original exactly).
I can be reached at erik@erikbakke.com and my work can be seen at
erikbakke.com
Thank you.
Best,
Erik
We're staying in Marble Quarry, on the outskirts of Columbia. We were in one of the book stores in town and came across your site from the flag that was there. Check it out:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.flickr.com/photos/jaworskihouse/5899118588/
Thanks for publishing all the great research you're doing. More comments soon!
There was a second photograph taken of the original Todd bear flag by the Tabor studio in San Francisco about 1900. It is a much more detailed photograph and shows that Todd did not "spill ink in three places." Those are shadows on your copy. Todd wrote he created this flag on June 18. Captain Montgomery who saw the Todd flag a few days later estimated that the red color (of both the star and bear) was created from berry juice, brick dust, and oil. Several witnesses, I think Todd included, say that the black writing was simply "lamp-black."
ReplyDeleteActually there is abudant evidence that there was another Bear Flag which was raised on the morning of June 14 featuring a bear (colored black) raised on his haunches and facing a star. I can give you a list of many in the original Bear Party who describe this flag. However perhaps the most authorative witness of this flag was Lt. John Missroon who arrived in Sonoma on June 17 and described the flag he had seen to his fellow officers on the Portsmouth a few days later. It was the bear standing on his hind legs in what appeared to be an aggressive pose. Similarly Lt. Joseph Revere describes this flag in his book as flying over Sonoma, in spite of the fact that he was the one who would lower the Todd flag and have ample opportunity to examine it in July 1846.
Jim,
ReplyDeleteI have enjoyed reading your blog on the bear flag. My father is an historian and wrote an artical on the bear flag revolt. It is one of hie favorite articals he has written. As a tribute to him and the artical I thought I would attempt to replicate the flag. I say attempt now that I have read the details of your recreation of the flag. This brings me to ask, would it be possible to commision you to creat a scaled down version of the flag you created? Please contact me at globalimagesinfo@gmail.com This would be for Christmas. Thank you for all you work,
Shane
Hi, great reading your post
ReplyDelete