State Seal: "The
Great Seal"
The Constitutional Convention
of 1849 adopted the Great Seal of the State of California. The
seal was designed by Major R. S. Garnett
of the United States Army, and proposed by Caleb Lyon, a clerk of
the convention. The Roman goddess of wisdom, Minerva, has at her
feet a grizzly bear and clusters of grapes representing wildlife
and agricultural richness. A miner works near the busy Sacramento
River, below the Sierra Nevada peaks. The Greek word "Eureka" meaning "I
have found it", probably refers to the miner's discovery of
gold. Near the upper edge of the seal are 31 stars representing the
number of states with California's anticipated admission. Just as
Minerva sprung full-grown from the head of Jupiter, California became
a state on September 9, 1850, without having to go through a territorial
stage.