Early in 1846, U.S. Army Captain John C. Fremont arrived in California with sixty well-armed men on a "scientific expedition." Fremont began provoking the Mexican authorities and stirring up the American settlers by spreading rumors of impending action against them by the Mexican government. In June, 1846, the Americans heard that a Mexican military force led by General Jose Castro was on its way up the Sacramento Valley, destroying crops, burning houses and driving off the cattle of American settlers. Although untrue, this rumor, along with the presence of Fremont and his troops, was enough to spur the Americans into action. On June 14, 1846, a group of thirty Americans marched on Sonoma, which was then the northernmost center of Mexican authority in California. Capturing the town, they took its leading citizen, Mariano Vallejo, prisoner. They then announced the establishment of the California Republic and declared themselves independent of Mexican rule.

Upon determining that they could not count on the support of Fremont, some of the party wanted to abandon the town and retreat. At this crucial moment, William B. Ide stepped forward and made a rousing speech declaring that he would die before retreating in disgrace. The party rallied around Ide, declared him "President" of the new republic, and raised the famous Bear Flag. On July 9, 1846, after learning that the United States had declared war on Mexico, the settlers lowered the Bear Flag and raised the American flag. California became a protectorate of the United States until its admission as the 31st state on September 9, 1850.

William Brown Ide

William Brown Ide, the first and only "President" of the California Republic, was born on March 28, 1796 in Rutland, Massachusetts. His early years were spent moving around New England with his family. He had very little formal education and apprenticed with his father at the trades of carpenter and joiner. He married Susan Haskell at Northborough, Massachusetts in 1820 and continued working as a carpenter. Guided by his father's example, Ide followed the frontier as it gradually moved westward.

Over the years, the Ides "settled" in Kentucky, Ohio, and Illinois. Susan gave birth to nine children, but as was common in those days, four of them died before reaching the age of ten. On April 1, 1845, the family left Illinois bound for Oregon. Ide was 49 at the time. At Fort Hall, after hearing tales of Indian troubles in Oregon and cheap land in California, Ide decided to go to California instead of Oregon. Following a laborious journey over the mountains, they arrived at Sutter's Fort on October 25, 1845.

After making arrangements for housing with Peter Lassen, the Ides traveled north and settled near present-day Vina, California. Two weeks later, they found themselves evicted in favor of Lassen's nephew. In desperation, they joined with three single men and spent a miserable winter in a hastily constructed log cabin. During that winter, a rumor spread that the Mexican government planned to evict all illegal American settlers. In June, 1846, Ide joined a band of Americans who advanced on the pueblo of Sonoma and captured Mariano Vallejo, the Mexican Comandante of Northern California. Sonoma was taken without a shot, and on June 14, 1846, the Bear Flag was raised and Ide was chosen to lead the new California Republic. After 24 days, the Bear Flaggers learned that the United States had declared war on Mexico. On July 9th, they raised the American flag and joined with the U.S. forces to capture the rest of California.

After the war, Ide returned to his Rancho de la Barranca Colorada near present-day Red Bluff, California. He made a fortune in the Northern Mines in the lull between the discovery of gold in 1848 and the Gold Rush of 1849. At the time of his death in Monroeville, California in December, 1852, he held several elective and appointive offices in the government of Colusi county in Northern California.

Monroeville

Monroeville was a early California town. U.P. Monroe founded it in 1850 on the west bank of the Sacramento River. When Colusi County was created as one of the 27 original counties in California, Colusa and Monroeville were the only communities of any size in the county. Elections where held to select a county seat and Monroeville won, supposedly because more people were passing through at the time. Court was held in a building called "Monroehouse" which doubled as a roadhouse, hotel, and bar. Monroehouse was built out the remains of the steamboat "California" which wrecked nearby in the Sacramento River. The main individual in Monroeville's history was William B. Ide. William Ide is a famous figure in California's history because he is associated with the "Bear Flag Revolt" in Sonoma in 1846. Ide was President of the short-lived California Republic.

Twenty-three days later, Sloat landed in Monterey and raised the stars and stripes. When the counties where being organized in 1850, Ide was called to Monroeville to help establish Colusi County. As the population of the community was very transient, no one was available to run the county. Therefore, Ide served as judge, Treasurer, and Deputy Clerk at the same time. He died in Monroeville in 1852 of smallpox. Dissatisfaction with Monroeville as county seat was building and in 1853, the government of Colusa County was moved to the community of Colusa, where it remains today. Monroeville continued its existence through the 1860's and 1870. By the 1880's its decline had begun. By, 1890, it was no longer listed in the US Census and by the dawn of the 20th Century, it was gone.

Throughout the 20th Century, the cemetery of Monroeville was the victim of vandalism and agricultural bulldozing. In 1977, during one such bulldozing the members of the Colusi County Historical Society protested and had it stopped. The Monroeville Cemetery eventually was deeded to the County of Glenn (Monroeville's present location). In 1980, archaeologists from California State University, Chico and later Butte College located and restored the graves of the cemetery, including that of William B. Ide. Many of the graves could not be identified and they are marked with an "Unknown" on the headstone. The cemetery was re-dedicated in August of 1998.