Editing Northern California (section)

=== Prehistory to 1847 ===
Inhabited for millennia by [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]], from the [[Shasta (tribe)|Shasta]] tribe in the north, to the [[Miwok]]s in the central coast and Sierra Nevada, to the [[Yokuts]] of the southern Central Valley, northern California was among the most densely populated areas of pre-Columbian North America.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.californiaprehistory.com/tribmap.html | title=California Indian Tribes map | website=CaliforniaPrehistory.com | author=R.F. Heizer | year=1966 | access-date=February 10, 2007 | archive-date=April 30, 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430112732/http://www.californiaprehistory.com/tribmap.html | url-status=dead }}</ref>

==== European explorers ====
The first European to explore the coast was [[Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo]], sailing for the Spanish Crown; in 1542, Cabrillo's expedition sailed perhaps as far north as the [[Rogue River (Oregon)|Rogue River]] in today's [[Oregon]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.nps.gov/archive/cabr/juan.html | title=Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo: A Voyage of Discovery  | publisher=U.S. National Park Service | access-date=February 10, 2007}}</ref> Beginning in 1565, the Spanish [[Manila galleon]]s crossed the Pacific Ocean from [[Mexico]] to the Spanish [[Philippines]], with silver and gemstones from Mexico. The Manila galleons returned across the northern Pacific, and reached North America usually off the coast of northern California, and then continued south with their Asian trade goods to Mexico.

In 1579, northern California was visited by the English explorer [[Francis Drake|Sir Francis Drake]] who landed north of today's [[San Francisco]] and claimed the area for England. In 1602, the Spaniard [[Sebastián Vizcaíno]] explored California's coast as far north as [[Monterey Bay]], where he went ashore. Other Spanish explorers sailed along the coast of northern California for the next 150 years, but no settlements were established.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Introduction--Early History of the California Coast--A National Register of Historic Places Travel Itinerary|url=https://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/ca/intro.htm#:~:text=The%20first%20explorers%20and%20settlers,first%20Europeans%20to%20visit%20California.|access-date=July 29, 2021|website=www.nps.gov}}</ref>

==== Spanish era ====
The first European inhabitants were Spanish missionaries, who built [[Spanish missions in California|missions]] along the California coast. The mission at [[Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo|Monterey]] was first established in 1770, and at [[Mission San Francisco de Asís|San Francisco]] in 1776. In all, ten missions stretched along the coast from [[Sonoma, California|Sonoma]] to Monterey (and still more missions to the southern tip of [[Baja California]]). In 1786, the [[France|French]] signaled their interest in the northern California area by sending a voyage of exploration to Monterey.

The first twenty years of the 19th century continued the colonization of the northern California coast by Spain. By 1820, Spanish influence extended inland approximately 25 to {{convert|50|mi|km|0}} from the missions. Outside of this zone, perhaps 200,000 to 250,000 Native Americans continued to lead traditional lives. The [[Adams-Onís Treaty]], signed in 1819 between Spain and the young United States, set the northern boundary of the Spanish claims at the 42nd parallel, effectively creating today's northern boundary of northern California.

==== Russian presence ====
In 1812, the Russian state-sponsored [[Russian-American Company]] established [[Fort Ross]], a fur trading outpost on the coast of today's [[Sonoma County]]. Fort Ross was the southernmost Russian settlement, located some {{convert|60|mi|km|0}} north of Spanish colonies in San Francisco. In 1839, the settlement was abandoned due to its inability to meet resource demands, and the increasing Mexican and American presence in the region.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.fortross.org/russian-american-company.htm#The%20Russian%20Advance%20to%20California|title = Russian Expansion to America (Russian American Company in California)}}</ref>

==== Mexican era ====
After [[Mexican War of Independence|Mexico gained independence]] from Spain in 1821, Mexico continued Spain's missions and settlements in northern California as well as Spain's territorial claims. The Mexican ''[[Californio]]s'' (Spanish-speaking Californians) in these settlements primarily traded cattle hides and [[tallow]] with American and European merchant vessels.

[[File:Trees and sunshine.JPG|thumb|[[Sequoia sempervirens|Coast Redwoods]] in [[Muir Woods National Monument]], in [[Marin County]]]]
In 1825, the [[Hudson's Bay Company]] established a major trading post [[Fort Vancouver|just north]] of today's [[Portland, Oregon]]. British fur trappers and hunters then used the [[Siskiyou Trail]] to travel throughout northern California.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://museumsiskiyoutrail.org/upper_soda_springs_information/hunters_and_trappers.html | title=Hunters and Trappers at Upper Soda Springs | publisher=Museum of the Siskiyou Trail | access-date=February 10, 2007}}</ref> The leader of a further French scientific expedition to northern California, [[Eugene Duflot de Mofras]], wrote in 1840 "''...it is evident that California will belong to whatever nation chooses to send there a man-of-war and two hundred men''."<ref name="hhb1840">{{cite book |last=Bancroft |first=Hubert Howe |url=https://archive.org/details/nativeracespaci15bancgoog |year=1886 |title=History of California, 1840–1845, Volume 4 |publisher=A. L. Bancroft|author-link= Hubert Howe Bancroft |oclc=9475460}}</ref>{{Rp|260}} By the 1830s, a significant number of non-''Californios'' had immigrated to northern California. Chief among these was [[John Sutter]], a European immigrant from [[Switzerland]], who was granted {{convert|48827|acre|km2}} [[Sutter's Fort|centered]] on the area of today's [[Sacramento, California|Sacramento]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page_id=485 | title=Sutter's Fort Historic State Park | publisher=California Department of Parks & Recreation | access-date=February 10, 2007}}</ref>

==== American interest ====
American trappers began entering northern California in the 1830s.<ref name="hhb1840" />{{Rp|263–4}} In 1834, American visionary [[Ewing Young]] led a herd of horses and mules over the [[Siskiyou Trail]] from missions in northern California to British and American settlements in [[Oregon]]. Although a small number of American traders and trappers had lived in northern California since the early 1830s, the first organized overland party of American immigrants to arrive in northern California was the [[Bartleson-Bidwell Party]] of 1841 via the new [[California Trail]].<ref name="hhb1840" />{{Rp|263–273}} Also in 1841, an overland exploratory party of the [[United States Exploring Expedition]] came down the [[Siskiyou Trail]] from the Pacific Northwest. In 1846, the [[Donner Party]] earned notoriety as they struggled to enter northern California.

==== 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]]]]