The monument is circular in
form and is crowned with a figure of a woman, representing California,
in bronze. She wears a chaplet made of olive leaves, and holds a wand
in her right hand, and in her left a large disk bordered with stars,
while a bear is seen standing on her right side. No doubt Bruin has
reference to the famous bear flag which had been raised on the Plaza
in 1846, when California declared herself independent of Mexico, and
which in the same year gave place to the Stars and Stripes. Around the
monumental figure of California are subjects in bronze. First of all
there is an overland wagon drawn by oxen, with pioneers accompanying
it. Secondly an Indian wigwam with hunters and Indians representing
the year 1850. In the third scene we have a buffalo hunt, the hunter
holding a lasso in his hand, and then there is the dying buffalo.
Succeeding this we have a domestic scene--fruits and wheat--and a
reaper in 1848. We then note bronze-medallions of Sutter, James Lick,
Fremont, Drake, the American Flag, and Serra. Moreover on this central
monument we have the names of Stockton, Castro, Vallejo, Marshall,
Sloat, Larkin, Cabrillo-Portalo.
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