Did you know that Big Bear was once inhabited by thousands of grizzly bears? In fact, that is how this area got its name. In 1845, Benjamin Davis Wilson, while tracking the bandit Joaquin, named this area Bear Valley because it was “alive with bears”. He claims to have killed 22 bears himself. The grizzlies were eventually hunted to extinction in this area with the last sighting being in 1906.
The black bears that currently call Big Bear home were introduced to the area in 1933. Sixteen bears were brought down from Yosemite National Park and introduced into the San Bernardino Mountains where they have thrived. Although there is a large bear population here, sightings are fairly uncommon in most areas.
FunFact Friday: Big Bear’s ‘Bear’ History
October 5, 2012 by laurel2424
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