The captivating flag of California was originally used to declare their independence from Mexico in 1846. Quickly designed and built with materials they had available, the settlers raised the flag at the Mexican garrison in Sonoma after taking the commander there as prisoner and the flag declared the land as “California Republic.†The other symbols on the flag include the grizzly bear, which stands for strength, and the red star, which is representative of the “Lone Star†of Texas. The California legislature officially declared this as the state flag in 1911. |