The Grizzly Bear
Found in the book: Campfire Tales of Eastern Idaho, by Louis J. Clements
According to Webster's Dictionary, a bear is a heavy mammal that has long shaggy hair and a rudimentary tail and walks on the soles of its feet with the heels touching the ground. “Ursidae” is the Latin term denoting the bear family. “Ursus horribilis” is the Latin name for the grizzly bear, meaning “horrible bear.”
“Silver-tip” is another name for the grizzly. The long black hairs have a tip of white which gives them a silvery color. Lewis and Clark in their journals referred often to the “white bear” as it abounded in large numbers in the Rockies in the early 1800’s. Many trappers referred to their experiences with the “silver-tip.”
The grizzly was about six feet in length and averaged about five hundred pounds. From the days of the earliest explorers of the Rocky Mountain regions, grizzly bears have borne the undisputed title of America’s fiercest and most dangerous big game animal. In early days, having little fear of the primitive weapons of the Indians, they were bold and indifferent to the presence of man, and no higher badge of supreme courage and prowess could be gained than a necklace of grizzly claws.
The journals of many of the trappers tell stories of their narrow escapes from the attacks of grizzly bears and describe them quite vividly. In the book Astoria, Washington Irving says, “...His speed exceeds that of a man but is inferior to that of a horse. In attacking he rears himself on his hind legs and springs the length of his body.”
Henry Marie Breckenridge in his book, Views of Louisiana, written in 1814, warns the travelers by saying, “...The African lion or the Tiger or Bengal are not more terrible or fierce. He is the enemy of man; and literally thirsts for human blood… He is three times the size of a common brown bear, and six times that of a European one.”
Andrew Henry knew from personal experience the troubles the grizzly could cause. While camped at the Three Forks Fort in Montana, a shout at the gate brought all the men running to the stockade to see if the trapper coming in was being pursued by the Blackfeet Indians or a grizzly bear. Later Henry mentioned the attacks of the bears as being part of the cause for his leaving the Three Forks for the warmer and more hospitable area to the south.
One classic example of a grizzly bear’s temperament is recorded in the journal of Thomas James called, Three Years Among the Indians and Mexicans. James and his party had killed one bear and were searching for another. James states, “ I with my dog, entered a narrow path and had gone some distance when I saw the dog ahead suddenly bristle up, bark and walk lightly as if scenting danger. I called to the men to come up, and watched the dog. He soon found the bear guarding a dead elk which he and his dead companion had killed and covered with leaves. As soon as he saw the dog he plunged at him and came furiously toward me, driving the dog before him and snorting and raging like a mad bull. I leveled my gun and snapped, and then ran with the bear at my heels and his hot breath upon me. I reached the river bank and turned short up a path in which I met my companions coming to my call. They, however, seeing me running were panic stricken and took to their heels also, thus were we all in full retreat from bruin, who crossed the river and fled through the willows on the other side…”
The grizzly was in 1989 a protected game animal. They had been hunted down and killed throughout the United States because of their destructive nature towards cattle, colts, sheep and pigs. There are still a few in the forests and mountains of Idaho and especially in and around Yellowstone Park.