On October 13, 1849, the California Constitution was 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 seal was created by Robert S. Garnett, a U.S. soldier stationed in Monterey following the Mexican-American War. The original seal is very similar to the one today. Minerva, the Roman goddess of wisdom, is the