On October 13, 1849, the California Constitution was approved and signed at Colton Hall in Monterey, ending the Constitutional Convention. The convention also adopted on this day a “Great Seal of the State of California” and “Eureka” (Greek for “I found it”) was decided as the future state’s motto. The original seal is very similar to the one today. Minerva, the Roman goddess of wisdom, is the most prominent feature on the seal overlooking a scene which includes a grizzly bear (later the officia

On August 15, 1846, Robert Semple and Walter Colton resurrected an old wooden common press in Monterey and published the first edition of the “Californian” newspaper. This was the first newspaper published in California. The printing press they used was originally brought to California in the mid 1830s by Agustín V. Zamorano to publish books and government documents as Monterey was the capital of Alta California. The “Californian” newspaper was published weekly until November 1848, when its enti

On August 15, 1846, Robert Semple and Walter Colton resurrected an old wooden common press in Monterey and published the first edition of the “Californian” newspaper. This was the first newspaper published in California. The printing press they used was originally brought to California in the mid 1830s by Agustín V. Zamorano to publish books and government documents as Monterey was the capital of Alta California. The “Californian” newspaper was published weekly until November 1848, when its enti