1.4: Defining the Boundaries and Symbols

As we will see later in this text, California can be viewed several ways; political, economic, cultural, geographically, and even linguistically. As mentioned earlier, the earlier boundaries of California were defined by Spanish claims of Mexico as part of the province of Alta California. The northern boundary of Spanish claims was set at 42°N latitude by the Adams–Onis Treaty of 1819. The states of Nevada and Utah, also originally part of Alta California, also use that line for their northern boundaries. The southern boundary, between California and Mexico, was established by the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo that ended the Mexican-American War in 1848. The line is about 30 miles north of the former Alta California southern boundary. The eastern boundary consists of two straight lines: a north–south line from the northern border to the middle of Lake Tahoe, and a second line angling southeast to the Colorado River. From that point, 14 miles (23 km) south-southwest of Davis Dam on Lake Mohave, the southeast boundary follows the Colorado River to the international border west of Yuma. The eastern and south-eastern boundaries were decided upon during the debates of the California Constitutional Convention in 1849.

The following image, figure 1.7, identifies some of the landform divisions that have helped define not just the physical boundaries, but the greater regions within our state. In future units, the text will define each region of the state, including the physical, geological, cultural and in many instances even specific case studies of towns and people within that region.

Figure 1.7: A Map of California’s Physical Features & Select Points of Interest. [1]

The Symbols of California

The Great Seal of the State of California was adopted at the California state Constitutional Convention of 1849, (figure 1.8), and has undergone design changes since then, the last being the standardization of the seal in 1937, in which the current seal still resembles (figure 1.9). Most recent seal shows Athena, (original named Minerva) in Greek mythology, the Goddess of wisdom and war, as she was born an adult. A California grizzly bear, the official state animal, feeding on grape vines, representing California's wine production; a sheaf of grain, representing agriculture; a miner, representing the California Gold Rush and the mining industry; and sailing ships, representing the state's economic power. The word Eureka (εύρηκα in Greek), meaning "I have found it", is the California state motto.

Figure 1.8: The Original California State Coat of Arms, 1876. [2]

So how did we get to the current seal? It all started in 1928, due to the number of incorrect details that had appeared in the seal over the years, state printer Carroll H. Smith was authorized to prepare a new and correct seal. This seal was drawn by Los Angeles heraldic artist Marc J. Rowe who, among other corrections, narrowed the growing break in the mountains so that it appeared to be the Sacramento River, fringed by snow-capped Sierra, and not an arm of San Francisco Bay, as the 1876 seal made it appear. Nine years later, the 1937 standardized seal once again featured a widened gap of Golden Gate proportions, although it did keep Rowe's snow-capped Sierra Nevada that had replaced the barren foothills of previous editions of the seal. Both features have stayed in the official seal.

The 1937 standardization came about when state employees, wishing to print the seal on blotters for the State Fair, could not find any official design of the seal. This prompted a new law which established for the first time a definite pictured design with which the master die was 'substantially' to conform, and at the same time established the legality of all previous seals which were essentially the same as this one.

Figure 1.9: The Modern-Day Adoption of the 1849 Great Seal of California. [3]

The symbols found within the Seal are often easily recognized, such as the State motto. Other symbols become just common knowledge such as the nickname, the Golden State. Other lesser-known symbols of California range from the state amphibian to the state vegetable. This text will continue to celebrate the diversity of California; however, it seems appropriate to list some the more obscure and trivial designated symbols of California.

Table 1.1: California State Symbols

Symbol	California State
Amphibian	California Red-Legged Frog
Animal	California Grizzly Bear
Bird	California Quail
Colors	Blue & Gold
Dance	West-Coast Swing
Dinosaur	Augustynollphus
Fabric	Denim
Fish	Golden Trout
Flower	California Poppy
Fossil	Smilodon Californicus
Fruit	Avocado
Gemstone	Benitoite
Gold Rush Town	Bodie
Mineral	Gold
Outdoor Play	The Ramona Pageant
Reptile	Desert Tortoise
Rock	Serpentine
Silver Ghost Town	Calico
Soil	San Joaquin
Sport	Surfing
Theater	Pasadena Playhouse
Trees	Costal Redwood & The Giant Sequoia
Vegetable	Artichoke

Figure 1.10 List of California State Symbols. [4]

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[1] California State University, Northridge. (2011). California: Physical Features. csun.edu. Retrieved 6/15/2023 from: http://www.csun.edu/~cfe/maps/?C=N;O=A

[2] Illustration by Henry Mitchell is in the public domain.

[3] Fichier d’origine is in the public domain

[4] Table by Jeremy Patrich