The Spirits of St. Helena Cemetery Discovery Walk

This will be the 20^th year for the St. Helena Historical Society’s Spirits of St. Helena Cemetery Discovery Walk. This year the “Spirits” will be some of the heroic veterans buried in the cemetery over a span of 100 years. The tour is focused on a few compelling stories.

Fighting for their new homeland in the Bear Flag Revolt

After surviving a long, grueling wagon train journey to California, these pioneer families were stakeholders, ready to fight for their new homeland. During the Bear Flag revolt, American settlers, under the leadership of William Ide and Ezekiel Merritt, successfully captured the Mexican outpost of Sonoma. This bold action resulted in the declaration of California as an independent country known as the California Republic.