"Bandera" diagrammed at the bottom of California's official Declaration of Independence from Mexico in 1846 and signed Pío Pico, Juan Bandini, et al..
<a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Wighson" title="User:Wighson">Wighson</a>
CC BY-SA 4.0
<p><span class="int-own-work" lang="en">Own work</span>
This version of a Bear Flag is the first in official use (see below).  It is unique in that the red bar is vertical rather than horizontal
</p><p>More information about this version of the Bear Flag can be found at:
</p><p><a rel="nofollow" class="external free" href="https://flagspot.net/flags/us-ca46.html">https://flagspot.net/flags/us-ca46.html</a>
<a rel="nofollow" class="external free" href="http://www.vom.com/bearflag/sobearfl.html">http://www.vom.com/bearflag/sobearfl.html</a>
<a rel="nofollow" class="external free" href="http://loeser.us/flags/california.html">http://loeser.us/flags/california.html</a>
</p>
Note:  The original, attributed to Pio Pico, appears on California Proclamation of Independence, mentioned on the first website above.  Because the original source shows only a conceptual sketch, the color and style of bear and star cannot be determined, and so they are commonly redrawn as red, black, or in natural color.