DAY 10 -- YELLOWSTONE TRIP 1926

CAVORTING WITH BEARS -- August 5

[I read that bear sightings are more common these days as the bears lose habitat to fires and seek to find relief from the heat. In fact, as Mike and I drove up the Gilbert Grade on Saturday, a black bear lumbered across the road right in front of us. This is the first time we’ve seen a bear on the grade, though we see them in this region from time to time.]

Postcard: At Fishing Bridge Camp

Ina feeding cookies to a 2-year-old "brown bear"

We left Jackson Lake camp after lunch yesterday and made this camp among the trees. Saw a bear in camp standing up being fed. Mother bear and cub in camp this A.M. The next move is to backtrack five miles and see Natural Bridge and Knotted Pines. Then on to Grand Canyon [of the Yellowstone]. We are getting awfully dirty. Bernice says the nighties will get up and walk off with a blanket on each arm. Getting hungry for home cooking. 

Shirley & the brown bear

[Have you watched Hazardous History with Henry Winkler? This trip to Yellowstone in 1926 qualifies as “hazardous.” Never mind that the cars were anything but reliable and safe, did you see how close they stood to Old Faithful on Day 8? It’s not allowed today. And here we see them actually holding out treats for the bears to snatch. And Ina thinks it’s such fun!!! I’m surprised the bear didn’t swat her.

Here’s an overview regarding the evolution of the attitude toward bears at Yellowstone provided by Google:

“In the 1920s, bears at Yellowstone National Park were not widely viewed as lethal or terrifying apex predators but rather as entertaining, anthropomorphized attractions. Park management actively encouraged tourists to feed black bears and view nightly garbage-dump spectacles, treating minor bites and scratches as a fun ‘souvenir’ rather than a severe safety hazard. Despite the lighthearted public relations, both black bears and grizzlies remained powerful wild animals, and serious or fatal attacks did occasionally happen at feeding sites. The casual attitude toward bear safety eventually led to severe habituation and rising conflict. The National Park Service phased out the dumps and officially banned feeding by 1970.”

Aunt Bernice & the "brown bear"

In the mid-1950s, when I was about five years old, I went with my parents to visit Uncle Earle and Aunt Bernice in Idaho Falls. (Uncle Earle taught junior high manual arts and mathematics there for thirty years.) Uncle Earle drove us to Yellowstone Park, and I remember that we sat in a long line of cars on the road as the bears came along looking for handouts. Uncle Earle had brought a bag of candy, and as the bear approached our car, I tried to put one in its mouth. Alarmed, my dad was rolling up the window as fast as he could. KW]