Although Congress concludes extended and acrimonious debate that brings California into the Union on September 9, 1850, it isn’t until 40 days later, on October 18, that California learns it’s now the 31st state.
With no cross-country telegraph, mail or rail service, it’s the SS Oregon that brings the news. Accompanied by the roar of cannon, the steamer sails into San Francisco Bay with bunting and flags flying. A banner hangs from its rigging proclaiming “California Is A State” or “California Admitted,” depending on the account. From the 1855 Annals of San Francisco:
“Business of almost every description was instantly suspended, the courts adjourned in the midst of their work, and men rushed from every house into the streets and towards the wharves, to hail the harbinger of the welcome news. When the steamer rounded Clarks Point and came in front of the city, her masts literally covered with flags and signals, a universal shout arose from 10,000 voices on the wharves, in the streets, upon the hills, house-tops, and the world of shipping in the bay.”
