On October 13, 1849, the California Constitution was approved and signed at Colton Hall in Monterey, ending the Constitutional Convention. The convention also adopted on this day a “Great Seal of the State of California” and “Eureka” (Greek for “I found it”) was decided as the future state’s motto. The original seal is very similar to the one today. Minerva, the Roman goddess of wisdom, is the most prominent feature on the seal overlooking a scene which includes a grizzly bear (later the officia