Apr. 26, 2006 - Brief History of California

California became a province of Mexico in 1822, right after Mexico won independence from Spain. In 1841, settlers from the East formed wagon trains and crossed the country to settle in California. These settlers wanted California to become part of the United States, but Mexico did not want to sell its territory. After a two-year war, Mexico surrendered to California in 1848. California became a state in 1850, just two years after gold was discovered there and thousands of people flocked to the state to make their fortunes.