ships on the Great Seal of the State of California

 

The seal dates from 1849 and received slight revisions in 1883, 1891, and 1937. The goddess Minerva sits on a hill before what is supposed to be the Bay of San Francisco and its vessels in 1849 while the snow capped mountains are supposed to represent the Sierra Nevada, east of Los Angeles.  All except one of the ships is sail-powered; the identity of the steam ship on the left is the subject of debate.  More