Page:The Tourist's California by Wood, Ruth Kedzie.djvu/118

 92 THE TOURIST'S CALIFORNIA cidents of General Vallejo's capture at Sonoma, the subsequent proclamation of the " American Republic of California " and the raising of the Bear Flag on July 4, 1846, anticipated by a few / days only the American occupation of Monterey by Commander Sloat. Without resistance the United States emblem was accepted by the little settlement of YerbaJ3uena which, founded in HQ7, was the nucleus of the city of San Francisco. So- noma, New Helvetia, Santa Barbara, San Pedro, Los Angeles and San Diego also yielded to the newcomers without defence. But Los Angeles eventually rose against invasion and not until Jan- uary, 1847, was American supremacy established. By a treaty of peace signed February 2, 184S, the United States acquired New Mexico and Cali- fornia from Mexico for $15,000,000. fin January, 1848, James Marshall, a native of Alope Township, New Jersey, who had come to the coast in 1844 and had taken part in the " Bear Flag Revolution," was constructing, as an em- ploye of Sutter, the mill-race for a sawmill on the American River when his operations loosened yellow particles which proved to be gold. Before December of the same year gold dust to the value of $6,000,000 had been taken from the placers of California. A messenger was sent by water and horseback to New Orleans. From there the news was telegraphed to Washington, where the word I