The Last Bear in Boulder Creek

While in Big Basin, in September 1900, the Santa Cruz Sentinel reported that Henry L. Middleton of Boulder Creek had caught a bear. They later retracted this statement quoting the Mountain Echo:

H. L. Middleton received as a present this week a bear cub from San Francisco. His cubship took part in the recent Native Sons parade and is now comfortably installed at “Madrone Villa”. – Mountain Echo.

How easy it is to be in error. The other day the “Sentinel” stated that Mr. Middleton caught this bear in the Big Basin.

Middleton owned land in the Big Basin that would become the California Redwood Park, now Big Basin Redwoods State Park. And this was during the time that he was working strategically behind the scenes with former lieutenant governor William T. Jeter of Santa Cruz, and many others, to ensure that this would manifest. Perhaps admitting that the bear was caught in the Big Basin was not a wise admission.

The bear was a cub, and it is unclear if it was a grizzly or a black bear. But it was clear that Middleton wanted to keep it. Unfortunately, just over a month later the cub escaped. He was spotted soon after near the schoolhouse, but then took to the woods. About one week later, three men, who were hunting for quail and pigeon on the Fat Buck Ranch on Kings Creek north of Boulder Creek, spotted and killed the bear. The cub was identified as Middleton’s by a cut on its shoulder made by a dog while the bear was in captivity. 

The bear was hung on exhibition in Dool and Stagg’s butcher’s shop in Boulder Creek and was served as bear steaks the next day at “the greatest political meeting ever held in Boulder Creek,” according to the Santa Cruz Sentinel; a Republican gathering.

San Francisco Call, November 3, 1900.

Unfortunately, the Mountain Echo issue detailing the capture of the bear is neither on Microfilm nor in the Museum’s collection. However, a 1982 Santa Cruz Express article, written by Don Waters, son of early Boulder Creek resident Arthur Waters of Water Bros. store, colorfully details the events.

According to the article, the bear was being kept in the crawl space under Middleton’s mercantile store, pictured here.

Dougherty & Middleton Mercantile Store, Central Ave., Boulder Creek, CA.

Middleton’s younger brother, Billy, after sampling his favorite brew at a local saloon after work, decided to show off the bear to some friends. The bear did not find it difficult to escape the tipsy crew and fled the scene. As told above, the article describes the encounter of teenager Malcolm McLeod and the bear, close to the school early the next morning, as Malcolm was delivering milk from the family cow to the local merchants. According to Waters "Malcolm decided he was far too young to be a hero and instantly dropped the milk cans and fled.

The Santa Cruz Surf reported, “An immense brown bear was killed yesterday” and this was echoed in the San Francisco Call’s article “Bear Steak for Voters” on November 3, 1900. The poor grizzly cub, now “an immense brown bear”, was described as the last bear in Boulder Creek.