''Bear Flag Monument'' (also known as ''Raising of the Bear Flag'') is a public artwork located at the

Sonoma Plaza Sonoma Plaza (Spanish: ''Plaza de Sonoma'') is the central plaza of Sonoma, California. The plaza, the largest in California, was laid out in 1835 by Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, founder of Sonoma. Description This plaza is surrounded by many his ...

Sonoma, California Sonoma is a city in Sonoma County, California, United States, located in the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. Sonoma is one of the principal cities of California's Wine Country and the center of the Sonoma Valley AVA. Sonoma's p ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. A monument to the Bear Flag Revolt, the piece is listed as a

California Historical Landmark A California Historical Landmark (CHL) is a building, structure, site, or place in California that has been determined to have statewide historical landmark significance. Criteria Historical significance is determined by meeting at least one of ...

Description

The sculpture depicts a man holding a

flag A flag is a piece of fabric (most often rectangular or quadrilateral) with a distinctive design and colours. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term ''flag'' is also used to refer to the graphic design empl ...

on top of a rock, which serves as base for the

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids such ...

sculpture. The rock weighs approximately 40 tons. The man holds a flagpole in his proper left hand. In his proper right hand he holds a

hat A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...

. He stands up straight and is wearing a

neckerchief A neckerchief (from ''neck'' (n.) + ''kerchief''), sometimes called a necker, kerchief or scarf, is a type of neckwear associated with those working or living outdoors, including farm labourers, cowboys and sailors. It is most commonly still seen ...

and a long sleeve shirt that is rolled up to his elbows. Four bronze plaques are located on the rock base, two on the front and one on the back. The lower right front plaque serves as the artist signature and is inscribed with: McQuarrie. The lower left plaque states who the

foundry A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal into a mold, and removing the mold material after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals pr ...

was: L. DE ROME FOUNDERS. The main plaque shows a

grizzly bear The grizzly bear (''Ursus arctos horribilis''), also known as the North American brown bear or simply grizzly, is a population or subspecies of the brown bear inhabiting North America. In addition to the mainland grizzly (''Ursus arctos horri ...

standing on all fours on top of a

shield A shield is a piece of personal armour held in the hand, which may or may not be strapped to the wrist or forearm. Shields are used to intercept specific attacks, whether from close-ranged weaponry or projectiles such as arrows, by means of a ...

with flags of the

and

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. The flags are crossed over each other. On the front of the base is inscribed: THIS MONUMENT WAS ERECTED BY THE NATIVE SONS OF THE GOLDEN WEST
AND THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA TO COMMEMORATE THE RAISING OF THE BEAR FLAG
ON THIS SPOT ON JUNE 14 1846 BY THE BEAR FLAG PARTY AND THEIR DECLARATION
OF THE FREEDOM OF CALIFORNIA FROM MEXICAN RULE. ON JULY 9 1846 THE
BEAR FLAG WAS HAULED DOWN AND THE AMERICAN FLAG HERE RAISED IN ITS
PLACE BY LIEUTENANT JOSEPH W. REVERE U.S.A. WHO WAS SENT TO SONOMA
FROM SAN FRANCISCO BY COMMANDER JOHN B. MONTGOMERY OF THE U.S. SLOOP
OF WAR "PORTSMOUTH FOLLOWING THE RAISING OF THE AMERICAN FLAG AT MONTEREY
JULY 7 1846 BY COMMODORE JOHN DRAKE SLOAT. A founder's mark can also be seen on the plaque. The plaque on the rear depicts the actual revolt, with men on horseback and on foot raising the bear flag. It is inscribed: THE RAISING
OF THE BEAR FLAG
JUNE 14, 1846 The monument is located on the northeastern corner of the

. This is the presumed spot where the Bear Flag Revolt took place. Nearby the monument is another monument, a large boulder with a bronze plaque placed on it, that states that ''it'' is the location where the bear flag was raised.

Additional Information

The plaque that is on the back, which depicts the raising of the bear flag, was originally on the front of the base. It was moved between the years 1914 and 1923. On June 1, 1932, the monument was declared a

, making it the seventh landmark to become named to the list. The bear flag is raised at the monument at the annual Bear Flag Celebration.

Acquisition

The piece was acquired by the state of California and the

Native Sons of the Golden West The Native Sons of the Golden West is a fraternal service organization founded in the U.S. state of California in 1875, dedicated to historic preservation, documentation of historic structures and places in the state, the placement of historic p ...

as a tribute to the 68th anniversary of the bear flag being raised during the Bear Flag Revolt.

Groundbreaking Groundbreaking, also known as cutting, sod-cutting, turning the first sod, or a sod-turning ceremony, is a traditional ceremony in many cultures that celebrates the first day of construction for a building or other project. Such ceremonies are o ...

for the site took place on October 30, 1913. It was estimated that 500 members of the Native Sons of the Golden West were in attendance. After the groundbreaking,

dinner Dinner usually refers to what is in many Western cultures the largest and most formal meal of the day, which is eaten in the evening. Historically, the largest meal used to be eaten around midday, and called dinner. Especially among the elite, ...

was served by the

Native Daughters of the Golden West Native Daughters of the Golden West is an American non-profit organization for women born in California. The organization focuses on the care and preservation of California history. It is the sister organization to the Native Sons of the Golden We ...

. The casting of the monument cost $5,000. The rock base and sculpture were installed onsite days before the dedication. The monument was dedicated on June 14, 1914. Then California

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Hiram Johnson Hiram Warren Johnson (September 2, 1866August 6, 1945) was an American attorney and politician who served as the Governor of California, 23rd governor of California from 1911 to 1917. Johnson achieved national prominence in the early 20th century ...

spoke at the dedication. An estimated "1,000 automobiles," and "at least 5,000 visitors" attended the event. At the time, it was stated to be the "greatest crowd Sonoma had ever seen," by the ''

Sonoma Index-Tribune The ''Sonoma Index-Tribune'' is a community newspaper published twice a week in Sonoma, California. The newspaper was published by four generations of the same family for 128 years, but is now owned by a group of local media investors. History ...

''.

Condition

The sculpture was surveyed by the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...

in 1994. It was noted as needing

conservation Conservation is the preservation or efficient use of resources, or the conservation of various quantities under physical laws. Conservation may also refer to: Environment and natural resources * Nature conservation, the protection and managem ...

treatment at that time.

Gallery

BearFlagMonument.JPG, Front BearFlagMonument SOS2.jpg, Back BearFlagMonument SOS3.jpg, Plaque on front BearFlagMonument SOS4.jpg, Plaque on back

References

External links

{{Commons category, Bear Flag Monument
Bear Flag Monument, Sonoma, California, 1967
as photographed by Don Meacham and in the collection of the Sonoma County Library History of Sonoma County, California California Historical Landmarks Monuments and memorials in California 1914 sculptures 1914 in California Bronze sculptures in California Statues in California Sculptures of men in California