September 9th is California Admission Day, the day that President Millard Fillmore signed the act that made California the 31st state of the Union. So even if you don’t have the day off from work, pause a moment to honor the great state of California.

I like this cartoon of our California grizzly bear reading the news “California Admitted into the Union.” I don’t know where it first appeared, but the picture comes from The Society of California Pioneers.

And here is a map showing all the flags that have flown over California, from the Los Angeles Public Library. Click here to go to a larger version of the map, and use the “magnifying glass” to enlarge whatever you want to read on it.

Close to the middle of the map you can see some covered wagons. The caption reads “John Bidwell & party of 60 made up first wagon train to enter state S. of Lake Tahoe 1841.” Well, there were not 60 in the party, and they did not enter with wagons, but it is nice to see the first emigrant party to come overland to California acknowledged on this fine map.