Classic California Rarity on the Bear Flag Movement
Privately Printed Typographical Curiosity
First edition. More than a biography, this book stands as one of the few primary sources for this interesting period in California history. William Ide was one of the leaders of the Bear Flag Revolt. Thomas W. Streeter describes this book as an important source on the beginnings of American rule in California. The text also includes an account of the family's overland trip across the plains to California in 1845.
The book was set in type by hand by Simeon Ide, William's brother, when he was 86 years old. The edition was small and copies are now extremely rare - J. Gregg Layne (Zamorano 80).
The Bear Flag Revolt, which took place in Sonoma in June 1846, was a pivotal moment in American expansionist history, marking the uprising of American settlers against Mexican authority in the region. Instigated by anti-Mexican sentiment and the desire to prevent California from falling under British control, a group of rebels declared California an independent republic, symbolized by the creation of the Bear Flag. Although the so-called California Republic was short-lived, being quickly subsumed by the United States military during the Mexican-American War, the revolt was significant as it highlighted the growing tensions and territorial ambitions leading to California's eventual annexation by the United States. The Bear Flag Revolt played a critical role in shaping the state's identity and its future as part of the expanding American frontier.
Simeon Ide, in assembling and printing these 'scraps of history' about William Brown Ide, wanted to establish his brother’s place in history. He believed that too much credit and attention had been given to John C. Fremont. For a short-lived period of twenty-two days, William Ide, one of the leaders of the famed Bear Flag Revolt of June 14, 1846, became 'Commander-in-Chief' of the California Republic. Even with its adulatory, self-serving purpose, Simeon’s book contains a wealth of firsthand information on the activities of the Bear Flaggers, the capture of Sonoma and General Mariano Vallejo, establishment of a so-called republic, and the final conquest of California by the United States with the aid of a group of hardened, roughneck volunteers known as the California Battalion under Fremont. In addition, this sextodecimo includes biographical information on the pioneer before his arrival in California, an account of his overland trek from Illinois in 1845 written by his daughter Sarah E. Healey, and information on his life in Tehama County following the conquest. In the final analysis, although motivated by family pride and deep acrimony directed at a more successful self-promoter in Fremont, Simeon’s publication remains as a significant record of the Americanization of California - Gary F. Kurutz, The Zamorano 80 Collection of Daniel G. Volkmann Jr.
An essential book for any serious Californiana collection.