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Monterey in Monterey County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)
 

The Great Seal of the State of California

 
 
The Great Seal of the State of California Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, March 22, 2010
1. The Great Seal of the State of California Marker
Inscription.
The Great Seal of the State of California
designed by
Major Robert Selden Garnett,
U.S. Army,

and adopted by the Constitutional
Convention of 1849 at Monterey.
Commissioned a Brigadier General
in the Confederate States Army
He was killed in West Virginia in 1861, the first general officer to be killed in the War Between The States.

Dedicated by California Division
United Daughters of the Confederacy
May 4, 1957
 
Erected 1957 by United Daughters of the Confederacy, California Division.
 
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Government & PoliticsWar, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the United Daughters of the Confederacy series list. A significant historical date for this entry is May 4, 1858.
 
Location. 36° 35.864′ N, 121° 53.838′ W. Marker is in Monterey, California, in Monterey County. Marker is on Pacific Street near Jefferson Street. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Monterey CA 93940, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Colton Hall – Site of California’s Original Constitution (here, next to this marker); Chaplain Walter Colton, U.S.N., 1787-1851 (here, next to this marker); Monterey History Time Line
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(a few steps from this marker); Gordon House (within shouting distance of this marker); Colton Hall (within shouting distance of this marker); Moon Tree (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Colton Hall (within shouting distance of this marker); Old Monterey Jail (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Monterey.
 
Also see . . .
1. State Symbols. California State Library website entry (Submitted on July 28, 2010.) 

2. Robert S. Garnett (1819–1861). Encyclopedia Virginia website entry:
Robert S. Garnett was a brigadier general in the Confederate army during the American Civil War (1861–1865). An 1841 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, he had a distinguished career in the United States Army, including service in the Mexican War (1846–1848), when he was an advisor to the Virginia-born general and later U.S. president Zachary Taylor. Garnett also designed the Great Seal of the State of California. After resigning from the Army to join the Confederacy, Garnett led Confederate troops on July 13, 1861, at the Battle of Corrick's Ford in what is now West Virginia. During the closing
Grizzly Bears image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Joseph Alvarado, April 26, 2022
2. Grizzly Bears
Near the Great Seal
phases of that engagement, Garnett was shot and killed, becoming the first Confederate general killed during the Civil War. (Submitted on July 28, 2010.) 
 
The Great Seal of the State of California Marker - Wide View image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, March 23, 2010
3. The Great Seal of the State of California Marker - Wide View
The marker is mounted on a low rock at the edge of the lawn on the right side of the entrance to Colton Hall.
Robert Selden Garnett image. Click for full size.
Internet Archive
4. Robert Selden Garnett
from The Biographical Dictionary of America, 1906, by Rossiter Johnson.
The Great Seal of the State of California image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, March 22, 2010
5. The Great Seal of the State of California
The State Seal is set in the sidewalk directly in front of Colton Hall, the site where both the state constitution and seal were adopted in 1849. Per the California State Library: 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.
The California Grizzly Bear image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Joseph Alvarado, April 26, 2022
6. The California Grizzly Bear
A symbol of the State of California
Dedicated September 9, 2000,
The 150th anniversary of California’s admission to the United States
Funded by: Colton Hall Museum and Cultural Arts Commission and the
Neighborhood Improvement Program of the City of Monterey
Sculptor, Kris Swanson
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on July 1, 2022. It was originally submitted on July 27, 2010, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 2,131 times since then and 21 times this year. Photos:   1. submitted on July 27, 2010, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.   2. submitted on June 28, 2022, by Joseph Alvarado of Livermore, California.   3. submitted on July 28, 2010, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.   4. submitted on June 18, 2018, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland.   5. submitted on July 28, 2010, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.   6. submitted on June 28, 2022, by Joseph Alvarado of Livermore, California. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.

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Mar. 19, 2024