TOW (& Answer)....

The week’s question asked what you knew of the origins of the California State flag.  Let me quote from the source of this week’s question to answer:

…a group of pioneers attacked a Mexican fort at Sonoma.  They took the fort’s commanding officer, Mariano Vallejo, prisoner and quickly hoisted a flag that had been designed just for the occasion.  One of the pioneers, William Todd, painted this makeshift flag on a cotton sheet with red and brown paint.  The flag featured a grizzly bear and a lone star, along with the name “California Republic.”  It was raised above the fort for all the pioneers to see.

Todd and the others were intent upon freeing California from Mexico’s grip.  Their actions became known as the Bear Flag Revolt because of the bear that graced the flag.  To these rebels, the bear symbolized strength.  The star was a reference to the Lone Star of Texas; the pioneers saw Texas as California’s sister in the struggle against Mexico.  This revolt took place on June 14, 1846, and the flag flew from that day until July 9, 1846, when the Mexican-American War officially began.

The question (& answer) were taken from p. 123 of Flags () by Randy Howe.  The book was published in 2002 by the Globe Pequot Press.