 |
Sutter's Mill, Coloma
Courtesy of Robert Holmes |
James
Marshall was camped on the American River at Coloma, near Sacramento. He and
his crew were building a saw mill for a fellow named John Sutter. On the
morning of January 24, 1848, while making adjustments to the millrace,
he found a few small nuggets of gold.
Nine
days later, the Mexican-American war was over. Mexico gave up the state of
California with the Treaty of Guadalupe and California became a territory.
Sam
Brannan, a young newspaper man in San Francisco began to hear rumors of gold
at Sutter's Mill and decided to go find out for himself. Indeed, he found
the place swarming with prospectors, some quite wealthy. It is said that,
being an industrious man, Sam settled at Morman Island on the American River
and began to collect "the Lord's tithes"(10% of their gold) from the miners
who passed by.
On
September 9, 1850, the United States Congress hesitatingly voted to admit
another free state to the union.
| THE NAME:
It's thought that the name California comes from a sixteenth century novel, Las
Sergas de Esplandian by Garcia Ordonez de Montalvo. Spanish explorers Hernando
Cortez and Ortuno Ximenez were familiar with the work of Montalvo and probably
named the territory after the gold laden island described in the novel.
Source: Shearer, Benjamin F. and Barbara S.
State
Names, Seals, Flags and Symbols Greenwood Press, Westport, Connecticut - 1994 |
| THE NICKNAMES:
The Golden State: (Official) California's long association with gold make this a natural
nickname for the state. From the naming of the state in the 16th century to the California Gold Rush of 1848
and the fields of yellow poppies(official state flower) that bloom in the
springtime, gold, in one form or another, has been intertwined with the history and development of California.
The state legislature made "The Golden State" the official nickname of California in 1968.
"The Golden State" is not the only nickname that has been associated with California.
Over the years, California has been referred as "The Land of Milk and Honey" and "The El Dorado State" and
"The Grape State." These nicknames served at various times to promote business and tourism for the state of
California.
The Land of Milk and Honey: A nickname promoting California as a land of opportunity with connections
to "The Promised Land" of the Bible.
The Grape State: Referencing the large quantities of table and wine grapes grown in California, the
nickname The Grape State is based in the business of agriculture.
The El Dorado State: A first nickname for California was The Eldorado State. This nickname was
used for California after the discovery of gold in 1848.
Sources: Shearer, Benjamin F. and Barbara S. State
Names, Seals, Flags and Symbols Greenwood Press, Westport, Connecticut - 1994
Shankle, George Earlie, Phd State Names, Flags, Seals, Songs, Birds, Flowers and
Other Symbols H. H. Wilson Company, New York - 1938 (Reprint)
The California Blue Book |
THE CITIZENS:
People who live in California or who come from California are called Californians. |
THE QUARTER:
 |
| U.S. Mint image |
The first quarter released in 2005 honors California, and is the 31st in the United States Mint's 50 State Quarters® Program. California was admitted into the Union on September 9, 1850, becoming our Nation’s 31st State. Nicknamed the "Golden State," California’s quarter depicts naturalist and conservationist John Muir admiring Yosemite Valley’s monolithic granite headwall known as "Half Dome" and also contains a soaring California condor. The coin bears the inscriptions "California," "John Muir," "Yosemite Valley" and "1850."
In 1849, the year before California gained statehood, the family of 11-year-old John Muir emigrated from Scotland to the United States, settling in Wisconsin. In 1868, at the age of 30, Muir sailed up the West Coast and landed in San Francisco. He made his home in the Yosemite Valley, describing the Sierra Nevada Mountains as "the Range of Light… the most divinely beautiful of all the mountain chains I have seen." He devoted the rest of his life to the conservation of natural beauty, publishing more than 300 articles and 10 books that expanded his naturalist philosophy.
In 1890, Congress established Yosemite National Park, and in 1892 John Muir helped form the Sierra Club to protect it, serving as that organization’s President until his death in 1914.
The California condor, with a wingspan as long as nine feet, is also featured on the coin in a tribute to the successful repopulation of the once nearly extinct bird.
The 20-member California State Quarter Commission was formed to solicit design concepts from California citizens and to review all submissions. The Commission forwarded 20 design concepts to Governor Gray Davis’s office for further consideration. From these, five were chosen as finalists and sent for final review to the United States Mint. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger chose the final selection from this group of five. The four other design concepts considered included "Waves and Sun," "Gold Miner," "Golden Gate Bridge," and the "Giant Sequoia" design. The Department of Treasury approved the "John Muir/Yosemite Valley" design on April 15, 2004.
For more on the state commemorative quarters, visit this page.
This 50 State Quarter Map is a great way to collect and display all 50 State Quarters. |
|
