Editing Northern California (section)

==== Californian independence and beginning of the United States era ====
When the [[Mexican–American War]] was declared on May 13, 1846, it took almost two months (mid-July 1846) for word to get to California. On June 14, 1846, some 30 non-Mexican settlers, mostly Americans, staged a revolt and seized the small Mexican garrison in Sonoma. They raised the "[[Flag of California|Bear Flag]]" of the [[California Republic]] over Sonoma. The "Bear Flag Republic" lasted only 26 days, until the U.S. Army, led by [[John Frémont]], took over on July 9.<ref name=1846-54>{{cite web |url=http://www.parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page_id=1096 |title=American Transition to Early Statehood |publisher=California Department of Parks & Recreation |access-date=February 10, 2007}}</ref> The California state flag today is based on this original Bear Flag, and continues to contain the words "California Republic."

Commodore [[John Drake Sloat]] ordered his naval forces to occupy [[Yerba Buena, California|Yerba Buena]] (present [[San Francisco]]) on July 7 and within days American forces controlled San Francisco, Sonoma, and [[Sutter's Fort]] in Sacramento.<ref name="1846-54" /> The [[Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo|treaty]] ending the Mexican–American War was signed on February 2, 1848, and Mexico formally ceded [[Alta California]] (including all of present-day northern California) to the United States.

[[File:Moon Lake.jpg|thumb|Moon Lake in [[Lassen County, California]]]]