why is the bear on the california flag
Flag of California One Bear Flag was designed by William L. Todd, a cousin of Mary Todd Lincoln.[19] According to the book Flags Over California, published by the California Military Department, the star on the flag began in the 1836 California Lone Star Flag. William Todd, in an 1878 letter to the Los Angeles Express, states that the star was drawn using blackberry juice and in recognition of the California Lone Star Flag. The bear was designed to be a symbol of strength and unyielding resistance.[4]