John Brown (California's Paul Revere)

The bronze says troops were sent and the city secured. They were sent; it was not. John Brown, a Swedish-born sailor the Californios called Juan Flaco, slipped out of besieged Los Angeles in September 1846 carrying Archibald Gillespie's message, believe the bearer, on cigarette papers, and rode north to Commodore Stockton. Gillespie had surrendered before help came, and the force Stockton sent was beaten near Rancho Dominguez that October. Los Angeles was not taken until January 1847. Brown died in Stockton in 1859 and lies somewhere in a city cemetery that no longer exists.

What the plaque says

John Brown (California's Paul Revere) In 1846, during American conquest of California, John Brown, nicknamed "Juan Flaco," rode from Los Angeles to San Francisco in four days to warn Commodore Stockton of the siege of Los Angeles. As a result, troops were sent and the city secured. This "Paul Revere of California" lived in Stockton from 1851-59 and is buried in the former Citizen's Cemetery near this site. California Registered Historical Landmark No. 513 Plaque placed by the State Department of Parks and Recreation in cooperation with local civic and historical organizations, September 13, 1969.

Where it stands

More markers nearby

• Temple Israel Cemetery — 0.6 mi
• Stockton Developmental Center — 0.8 mi
• Lindsay Point — 0.8 mi
• Weber Point — 0.8 mi