The Historic Grizzly

[brotherbear]

Continued...
In the summer of 1853, while on a hunt in Eastern Washington Territory ( probably present-day Montana ), Adams killed a sow grizzly with two cubs. The men chased down and captured the orphaned young. Adams chained the female cub to a tree and muzzled her, then set about "training" her. After trying kindly advances without success, Adams became incensed when the cub swatted his offered hand. He then proceeded to beat her relentlessly until she was reduced to an exhausted, whimpering ball of fur. When he reached out to touch her, she did not protest, instead trembled in fear. Soon he was stroking her lovingly and feeding her by hand. He named her Lady Washington. Before long the bear was allowed to roam around camp on a tether and eventually learned to follow Adams without a tether. On one of her first hunting trips with Adams, Lady Washington assisted him in routing a wild grizzly. 
Amazingly, Lady Washington was also taught, after a series of beatings, to carry small packs on her back. The California Menagerie, as it came to be called, caused quite a stir that fall when Adams strolled through the streets of Portland, Oregon, leading every sort of wild animal imaginable, along with Lady Washington, now weighing 300 pounds, walking placidly beside him with a bundle of hides on her back. Much to his pleasure, he was referred to thereafter as "Grizzly" Adams. Reply