Mountain Men and Grizzly Bears
Mountain men and grizzly bears had frequent encounters. Here are just a few stories as told by the trappers themselves.
Who doesn’t love a bear? I mean really, they are some of our favorite and most lovable cartoon characters. You’ve got Mr. Responsible Smokey the Bear cordially reminding you to stop forest fires. If you’re looking to have some fun how about Baloo from The Jungle Book? He’s a real hoot. Although not as popular today, Yogi Bear was quite a fellow himself. That Yogi, he was a character. And then there is Winnie the Pooh. What can you even say about Winnie the Pooh? If you need a bear to cheer you up, Ol’ Winnie can handle the job.
The problem is, these bears aren’t real. Real bears are much different than our good friends listed above. Real bears are wild animals with an array of complicated issues surrounding them today. Perhaps the bear receiving the most intense observation today in the United States is the grizzly bear. We all know that numerous books have been written on the topic of grizzly bears in America and people take very different stances on the management of the animal. Whatever you think, today grizzly bears live in parts of Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, and Washington and their population is on the rise. Historically, the grizzly bear inhabited much of what is now America, and the people who lived there had frequent interactions with this apex predator.
Mountain Men and Grizzly Bears
Mountain men led dangerous lives, and many were killed as they traveled the American West in search of beaver and adventure. While mountain men could die from an array of things, grizzly bears were always a threat. When discussing the subject with my students I tell them there are very few recorded attacks by wolves and mountain lions, but almost every mountain man had a grizzly bear story. Here are a few of them:
Osborne Russell
One of the most colorful tales of a grizzly bear encounter comes from Osborne Russell. Russell just made his way west and one of the first things he decided to do was chase a grizzly bear in a willow thicket. Here is his story:
“The Mullattoe approached within 100 yards and shot him thro. the left shoulder he gave a hideous growl and sprang into the thicket. The Mullattoe then said “let him go he is a dangerous varmint” but not being acquainted with the nature of these animals I determined on making another trial, and persuaded the Mullatto to assist me we walked round the bunch of willows where the bear lay keeping close together, with our Rifles ready cocked and presented towards the bushes untill near the place where he had entered, when we heard a sullen growl about 10 ft from us, which was instantly followed by a spring of the Bear toward us; his enormous jaws extended and eyes flashing fire. Oh Heavens!”
Russell and his friend luckily avoid being killed by the bear. As you can see, it didn’t take long for Russell to learn about a grizzly bear’s temperament. In fact, he later says:
“..I secretly determined in my own mind never to molest another wounded Grizzly Bear in a marsh or thicket.”
Warren A. Ferris
Another account from the time period goes like this:
“On the eighth, we saw for the first time, a grizzly bear, a large fierce formidable animal….We shall have occasion elsewhere to note instances of the prowess, cunning and courage of this remarkable animal, and shall relate, in their proper connexion, some of the many anecdotes concerning it, which are current among the Indians and trappers of the Rocky Mountains…”
One of those anecdotes goes like this:
“Soon after, hearing a noise like that of some large animal splashing in the water, I ran to the spot, certain that my comrade had attempted to cross, where the river was deep and his horse endangered. Imagine then my agony and surprise when a formidable grizzly bear came rushing, like a mounded buffalo towards me. I instinctively cocked my gun, and intended to discharge it into his open mouth, when he should rear himself to clasp me; but to my great joy he passed a few feet from me, and disappeared in the neighbouring thickets.”
In a later entry he writes:
“…we learned that one of our men had been severely wounded by a grizzly bear, during an excursion for buffalo, in our absence. It appeared that himself and several others discovered one of these formidable animals, near a grove of willows on the margin of a small stream. They approached and mortally wounded him; but he succeeded in crawling into the brush. Our unlucky commrade, unwilling to let the animal escape, advanced to the bushes, and was at the same instant attacked by the enraged bear, who sprang upon and threw him. His companions were so paralyzed with the fear that he would be torn to pieces, that they could render him no assistance…”
Jedediah Smith
James Clyman relates the time a grizzly bear grabbed legendary Jedediah Smith by the head:
“…while passing through a Brushy bottom a large Grssely came down the vally we being in single file men on foot leding pack horses he struck us about the center then turning ran paralel to our line Capt. Smith being in the advanc he ran to the open ground and as he immerged from the thicket he and the bear met face to face Grissly did not hesitate a moment but sprung on the capt taking him by the head first pitcing sprawling on the earth he gave him a grab by the middle fortunately cathing by the ball pouch and Butcher Kife which he broke but breaking several of his ribs and cutting his head badly.”
It’s at this point that Clyman records how he stitched Jed Smith’s scalp back on.
“I asked Capt what was best he said one or 2 for water and if you have a needle and thread git it out and sew up my wounds around my head which was bleeding freely I got a pair of scissors and cut off his hair and then began my first Job of dessing wounds upon examination I the bear had taken nearly all his head in his capcious mouth close to his left eye on one side and clos to his right ear on the other and laid the skull bare to near the crown of the head leaving a white streak whare his teeth passed one of his ears was torn from his head out to the outer rim after stitching all the other wounds in the best way I was capabl and according to the captains directions the ear being the last I told him I could do nothing for his Eare 0 you must try to stich up some way or other said he then I put in my needle stiching it through and through and over and over laying the lacerated parts togather as nice as I could with my hands.”
Hugh Glass
Any discussion about mountain men and grizzly bears must include the story of Hugh Glass. For the story of Hugh Glass, we once again turn to James Clyman’s narrative:
“amongst this party was a Mr Hugh Glass who could not be rstrand and kept under Subordination he went off of the line of march one afternoon and met with a large grissly Bear which he shot at and wounded the bear as is usual attacted Glass he attemptd to climb a tree but the bear caught him and hauled to the ground tearing and lacerating his body in feareful rate by this time several men ware in close gun shot but could not shoot for fear of hitting Glass at length the beare appeaed to be satisfied and turned to leave when 2 or 3 men fired the bear turned immediately on glass and give him a second mutilation on turning again several more men shot him when for the third time he pouncd on Glass and fell dead over his body.”
Those familiar with the story will recall that Hugh Glass survived the attack, and would endure one of the most remarkable stories of human survival.
Hopefully you enjoyed these primary sources describing mountain men and grizzly bear encounters. As you can see, some attacks were possibly the result of aggravation, and some were merely the result of a grizzly bear’s nature. Whatever the reason for an attack, attacks by grizzly bears were extremely common during this era. Most mountain men would have an encounter with a grizzly bear at some point in their life. As a result, mountain men developed a healthy respect for the great bear, and they knew Ol’ Ephriam wasn’t Winnie the Pooh.
