On June 14, 1846, approximately 30 Americans who lived in the vicinity of Sutter’s Fort and fearful of General Jose Castro’s proclamation to deport undocumented Americans from Alta California by the end of the year, commandeered the Mexican Army’s headquarters in Sonoma, and proclaimed California an independent nation. This became known to history as the Bear Flag Revolt. General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo was taken prisoner and sent to Sutter’s Fort two days later. Many know the story of how the original Bear Flag that flew over Sonoma was made by William Todd, the nephew of Mary Todd Lincoln. The Bear Flag consisted of a red star, a very crude looking bear that many thought looked more like a pig, the words “California Republic,” and a red stripe on the bottom. This flag was the precursor for California’s current state flag. The Bear Flag Republic lasted just over three weeks until July 7th when the U.S. Navy under the command of Commodore Sloat arrived in Monterey and began the U...