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California State Symbols, Songs, and Emblems
For the latest symbols information, visit the NETSTATE CHRONICLE.
Designation |
Symbol / Emblem | Adopted | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sources...California State Library, History and Culture - State Symbols, <http://www.library.ca.gov/history/symbols.html> (Accessed 11 December 2009)
|
||||||
| Amphibian | California red-legged frog (Rana draytonii) | 2014 | ||||
| Animal | California grizzly bear (Ursus californicus) | 1953 | ||||
| Bird | California valley quail (Lophortyx californica) | 1931 | ||||
| Colors | Blue and gold | 1951 | ||||
| Dance | West coast swing dance | 1988 | ||||
| Fabric | Denim | 2016 | ||||
| Fife and drum corp | California Consolidated Drum Band | 1997 | ||||
| Fish | California golden trout (Salmo aqua bonita) | 1947 | ||||
| Flag | Find our more... | 1911 | ||||
| Flower | Golden poppy (Eschscholzia) | 1903 | ||||
| Folk dance | Square dance | 1988 | ||||
| Fossil | Sabre-toothed cat (Smilodon californicus) | 1973 | ||||
| Gemstone | Benitoite | 1985 | ||||
| Gold rush ghost town | Bodie | 2002 | ||||
| Grass | Purple needlegrass (Nassella pulchra) | 2004 | ||||
| Great seal | Find out more... | 1849 | ||||
| Historical society | California Historical Society | 1979 | ||||
| Insect | California dogface butterfly (Zerene eurydice Boisduval, 1855) | 1972 | ||||
| Lichen | Lace lichen (Ramalina menziesii) | 2015 | ||||
| Marine fish | Garibaldi (Hypsypops rubicundus) | 1995 | ||||
| Marine mammal | California gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus) | 1975 | ||||
| Marine reptile | Pacific leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) | 2012 | ||||
| Military museum | California State Military Museum and Resource Center | 2004 | ||||
| Mineral & mineralogic emblem | Gold | 1965 | ||||
| Outdoor play | Ramona Pageant | 1993 | ||||
| Pet | Shelter pet | 2015 | ||||
| Poet laureate | Find out more... | 2001 | ||||
| Prehistoric artifact | Chipped stone bear | 1991 | ||||
| Reptile | California desert tortoise (Gopherus agasizzii) | 1972 | ||||
| Rock & lithologic emblem | Serpentine | 1965 | ||||
| Silver rush ghost town | Calico | 2005 | ||||
| Soil | San Joaquin soil | 1997 | ||||
| Song | "I Love You, California," words by F.B. Silverwood and music by A.F. Frankenstein | 1951 | ||||
| Tall ship | Californian | 2003 | ||||
| Tartan | Find out more... | 2001 | ||||
| Theater | Pasadena Playhouse | 1937 | ||||
| Tree | California redwood; Coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens); and giant sequoia (Sequoia gigantea). The name, Sequoia gigantea was given to the giant sequoia by Joseph Decaisne in 1854. Though adopted, by the California legislature as Sequoia gigantea, the Giant Sequoia was more correctly identified as Sequoiadendron giganteum by John T. Buchholz in 1939. NETSTATE thanks to J. Jenneskens for bringing this to our attention. | 1937 | ||||
| Vietnam veterans war memorial | California Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Capitol Park, Sacramento | 2013 | ||||
Making laws in California
The California Legislature offers this Overview of Legislative Process to help us understand how laws are made in California. Also provided is a Glossary of Legislative Terms which will prove useful.
You might even take a moment to design your own bill and watch it become law using the game provided by the California State Assembly.
A complete Citizen's Guide to State Government is available from the California State Capitol Museum.
Additional Information
History and Culture - State Symbols: from the California State Library.
California
Facts and Symbols
Emily McAuliffe
California Facts and Symbols, by Emily McAuliffe. 24 pages. Publisher: Capstone Press; Rev Upd edition (August 2003) Reading level: Grades 3-4. Interest level: Grades 3-9. Perfect for report writing! Easy-to-read text covers major California symbols such as the state flag, seal, bird, tree, flower, animal, and more. A "Fast Facts" section highlights the state's capital city, largest city, physical size, population, natural resources, farm products, and primary manufactured goods. Also included are full-page maps that introduce the concept of the map key, which is great for teaching map-reading skills.
State Names, Seals
Flags and Symbols
Benjamin F. Shearer
Barbara S. Shearer
State Names, Seals, Flags and Symbols, by Benjamin F. Shearer, Barbara S. Shearer. 544 pages. Greenwood Press; 3 Sub edition (October 30, 2001) This is one of the best, and most comprehensive, books we could find about the official state names and nicknames, mottoes, seals, flags, capitols, flowers, trees, birds, songs, and miscellaneous designations of each state. This, coupled with the 1938 Shankle book, formed the basis of our symbol library. If you're serious about your states symbols, you'll want to have this book and the one below. This book also contains information about state hoarays, license plates, sports teams, universities and other trivia.
State Names, Flags, Seals, Songs, Birds, Flowers, and Other Symbols, by George Earlie Shankle. 522 pages. Reprint Services Corp; Revised edition (June 1971) Reprint of the 1938 revised edition. The first comprehensive book about our state symbols! From the preface: "This book grew out of the desire of its author to know, about his native state, a great many facts which he found exceedingly difficult to obtain. After three years of research in the Library of Congress, he is able to give to the public this storehouse of information, which could have been gathered from not library less fertile in source material..."
Visit the NETSTATE California State Book Store for additional California related books, including California Reference Books, History, Biographies and Cookbooks.
