Wednesday, April 22, 2026

Question: After American settlers raised the Bear Flag over Sonoma in June 1846 and declared the independent Republic of California, how many days did the new republic last before the U.S. flag replaced it?

Answer: 25 days. The Republic of California existed from June 14, 1846, when American settlers raised the Bear Flag over Sonoma after detaining Mexican Gen. Mariano Vallejo in a largely bloodless uprising, to July 9, 1846, when the U.S. flag was raised at the Sonoma Barracks. The Bear Flag itself far outlasted the short-lived republic, becoming California’s official state flag in 1911 and later standardized in 1953.