by Susan Couso
About 15,000 years ago, the population of Grizzly Bears was established in what is now California, and these magnificent animals, weighing up to 2,000 pounds, ruled their habitat with ease. The encroachment of emigrants who ventured into the state finally ended the reign of these great beasts.
As the Mexican government took control of the area, they brought thousands of cattle to thrive on the lush valleys and foothills. For the Grizzly bear, this was a bountiful feast, but also their death knell. The bears were hunted and killed, captured, and tortured, and systematically wiped out.
The mighty bruins were often pitted against bulls in a fight to the death, and in one instance a great California Grizzly was seized and transported to Monterey, Mexico, where he was pitted against an African lion. The lion was immediately dispatched by the Grizzly. The list of cruelty is long and gruesome, and the result was always eventual death for the Grizzly.
As later emigrants came to California from the east, the Grizzly bear was a formidable foe, fighting for survival against the influx of humans into its surrounds. But the Gold Rush Era, with its mass of humanity finally brought an end to the mighty Grizzly.
Long revered by California’s Native People as a great, fearsome, and powerful force, the bear was no match for the newcomers with their guns. The repeating rifle had a huge effect in the war against this spectacular animal.
The area around Susanville had its fair share of Grizzly scares. In the winter of 1860-61, the town was terrorized by sightings. Just across the river, south of town, a Grizzly was seen prowling around a house.
A boy who lived there heard a noise and opened a window to look outside. As he did this, an enormous Grizzly reared up on his hind legs and faced the boy. The young man threw down the window, ran upstairs, and locked himself into a room where he spent the night. The story was undoubtedly embellished a bit as it was repeated around town, but it caused quite a ‘stir’.
Not too long after the Grizzly affair south of town, Sam King was staying in LaDue Vary’s cabin. Vary had a mining claim on Weatherlow Street, just a little north of Paiute Creek. In the night, King heard something walking around outside the cabin. He loaded his old musket with buckshot, opened the door a tiny bit, and fired at whatever was outside. He then slammed the door shut and waited until morning.
As daylight arrived, Sam ventured out to see what damage he had caused, and not far away found a huge Grizzly, estimated to be about eight hundred pounds.
The bears continued to be pursued, and bear hunts were often held to eradicate the threat. In Lassen County and throughout the state, the Grizzly was considered by most to be one of the greatest threats to citizens and the growth of the area.
In 1889, as the Grizzly population was waning, William Randolph Hurst hired Alex Kelly to ‘find him a bear’. Kelly found his prey in Ventura County, and the bear, eventually named Monarch, was secured in a cage until he was euthanized, 22 years later. Monarch was the model for the bear on the California State flag.
It is estimated that by the beginning of the Gold Rush, there were 10,000 Grizzly Bears in California, but by 1924, the last documented sighting of a wild Grizzly put an end to the massive animal. The Grizzly was extinct.
There have been recent efforts to repopulate the California Grizzly through genetic engineering and cloning to recreate the species, but for now, your best chance to see a live Grizzly might be to attend a sporting event at Lassen High School.
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