John “Grizzly” Adams – Bear Hunter
“The mountain air was in my nostrils, the evergreens above and the eternal rocks around, and I seemed to be a part of the vast landscape, a kind of demigod in the glorious and magnificent creation.”
— John “Grizzly” Adams
The American West is rife with tales of rugged individuals who braved the wilderness, carving out a life amidst its challenges and wonders. Among these figures, few are as captivating and enigmatic as John “Grizzly” Adams, a professional hunter of grizzly bears. Adams’s fame extended beyond the frontier, eventually leading to his involvement with P.T. Barnum’s Circus, solidifying his place in American folklore.
Born John Boyden Adams on October 12, 1812, in Medway, Massachusetts, he entered a world far removed from the wild landscapes he would later call home. His parents, Eleazer and Sybil Adams, raised him in a region steeped in American history. Family lore suggests a connection to prominent figures like President John Adams and patriot Samuel Adams, anchoring him to the very foundation of the nation. Though he received a respectable education for the era, the young Adams was drawn to more practical pursuits. By the age of fourteen, he was apprenticed in the footwear manufacturing industry, a trade that offered stability but could not contain his burgeoning adventurous spirit.
At twenty-one, John “Grizzly” Adams traded the cobbler’s bench for the dense forests of New England. He embarked on a career as a hunter, immersing himself in the natural world. This transition marked the beginning of his transformation into the legendary figure he would become. His early hunting experiences served as a crucial training ground, honing his skills in woodcraft, marksmanship, and animal handling. A pivotal moment arrived when he joined a company of showmen as a zoological collector. This role took him across Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire, tasked with capturing live wild animals. However, this phase of his life was abruptly cut short when, while attempting to train a Bengal tiger, Adams suffered severe back and spine injuries. This setback forced him to retire from hunting and collecting for a time.
After a year of recuperation, Adams returned to the familiar setting of the cobbler’s bench in Boston. In 1836, he married Cylena Drury, and the couple eventually had three children. Despite his responsibilities as a husband and father, the call of the wild continued to resonate within him. The allure of the frontier, fueled by the tales of the California Gold Rush, proved too strong to resist.
Like thousands of others, John “Grizzly” Adams succumbed to the allure of gold and made his way west, arriving in the California gold fields in late 1849. The reality of the gold rush, however, proved far different from the dreams of instant wealth. Failing to strike it rich, Adams adapted, turning his skills to hunting game to sell to the burgeoning mining population. He also engaged in trading, ranching, and farming, demonstrating his versatility and resourcefulness.
By late 1852, misfortune struck again. Adams lost his ranch near French Camp, California, to creditors. Undeterred, he ventured into the rugged Sierra Nevada mountains, determined to make a living by trapping. It was around this time that he began calling himself James Capen Adams, a name that would soon become synonymous with wilderness prowess. This period marked a turning point in his life, as he embraced the solitude and challenges of the mountain environment.
With the help of the local Miwok Indians, John “Grizzly” Adams built a cabin and stable a few miles from present-day Pinecrest, California. The Miwok, with their intimate knowledge of the land, shared valuable skills and insights that aided Adams in his survival and success. In addition to trapping and hunting, he crafted buckskin clothing, moccasins, harnesses, pack saddles, and snowshoes, showcasing his self-sufficiency and mastery of frontier skills. By this time, he was forty years old, described as a muscular and wiry figure with long gray hair, a snowy white beard, and clad in full-dress buckskins. His appearance alone was enough to command attention and hint at the extraordinary life he led.
From his base in the Sierra Mountains, John “Grizzly” Adams embarked on numerous expeditions. In 1853, he journeyed to the Washington Territory, where he captured a female grizzly bear cub, naming her Lady Washington. He trained her to follow him, carry a pack, and pull a sled. Eventually, she even allowed him to ride on her back, highlighting his remarkable ability to connect with and train wild animals.
In 1854, Adams and several hunting companions traveled to the Rocky Mountains as far as Fort Bridger, Wyoming. They sold meat, hides, and some live animals to the emigrants traveling along the Oregon Trail, further demonstrating his entrepreneurial spirit and ability to capitalize on the opportunities presented by the westward expansion. At the end of that same year, he trapped a 1,500-pound grizzly bear in the Sierra, one of the largest ever captured alive, and named him Samson. He also retrieved a pair of two-week-old male grizzly cubs from their mother’s den near Yosemite Valley, naming one of them Benjamin Franklin.
The spring of 1855 brought a pivotal event that would forever define the legend of John “Grizzly” Adams. While on a hunting trip in the Sierra, he was attacked by a mother grizzly bear. The she-bear knocked his rifle from his hands, tore his scalp loose, dented his skull with a powerful swipe, and bit into his neck. In a display of unexpected loyalty, Ben Franklin, Adams’s “tame” grizzly, distracted the she-bear with a bite to her backside, allowing Adams to climb a tree. He then retrieved his rifle and killed the attacking bear. The attack left Adams severely injured, requiring nearly a month to recover in his camp. Both John and Ben bore the scars of this encounter for the rest of their lives, forever cementing their bond and adding to the lore surrounding Grizzly Adams.
After recovering from his injuries, John “Grizzly” Adams and his companions trapped and hunted along the California Coast Range, journeying as far south as the Tejon Pass area. On their return, they followed the coastal route through San Miguel, San Jose, and then to San Francisco, attracting crowds of curious onlookers. Seeing the public’s fascination, Adams set up impromptu shows featuring his bears and other animals he had collected.
In 1856, Adams retrieved his animals from Howard’s Ranch near Stockton, California, where he had left them for safekeeping. He then opened the Mountaineer Museum in a basement on Clay Street in San Francisco, charging 25 cents admission. This venture caught the attention of Theodore H. Hittell, a newspaper reporter for the Daily Evening Bulletin, who promoted the menagerie in his articles. With Hittell’s publicity, the museum became a success, prompting Adams to open the Pacific Museum at a larger, more prominent location.
By 1858, a San Francisco newspaper dubbed John “Grizzly” Adams the “Barnum of the Pacific,” recognizing his showmanship and entrepreneurial success. However, by the following year, he had overextended himself and lost his museum building to creditors, forcing him to temporarily relocate his animals.
His health was rapidly declining, primarily due to the head and neck injuries he had sustained in the grizzly bear attack. Wrestling with and training his animals repeatedly reopened and aggravated the wounds. The last major injury in 1859 cracked his skull and tore away bone, exposing brain tissue in a silver-dollar-sized area on his forehead.
Despite his failing health, John “Grizzly” Adams arranged to relocate his menagerie and collections to New York, hoping to join P.T. Barnum’s show. On January 7, 1860, Adams and his menagerie departed San Francisco on the clipper ship Golden Fleece. After a three-and-a-half-month voyage via Cape Horn, they arrived in New York City. Although his health had deteriorated significantly during the journey, he immediately sought out P.T. Barnum, who recognized the potential of Adams’s California Menagerie.
Adams joined forces with P.T. Barnum to present his California Menagerie in a canvas tent for six weeks. On opening day, “Grizzly” Adams, accompanied by three of his tamed grizzlies, paraded down Broadway and up to the Bowery on a flat-bed wagon, preceded by a band. His presence captivated audiences and solidified his reputation as a true showman.
Despite his worsening condition, John “Grizzly” Adams persuaded Barnum to let him perform with his animals for another ten weeks for a $500 bonus. By the end of the extended run, he could barely walk onto the stage. He sold his menagerie to Barnum and, from the proceeds of the show and the sale, provided a comfortable sum for his wife, Cylena.
After his final performance, Adams retired to Neponset, Massachusetts, with his wife. Just five days later, on October 25, 1860, at the age of 48, he died. Upon hearing of Adams’s death, Barnum was deeply saddened and paid for his tombstone. Adams was interred at the Bay Path Cemetery in Charlton, Massachusetts.
P.T. Barnum, reflecting on the persona of John “Grizzly” Adams, noted: “He was dressed in his hunter’s suit of buckskin, trimmed with skins and bordered with the hanging tails of small Rocky Mountain animals; Old Adams was quite as much of a show as his beasts.” This quote encapsulates the essence of Adams as a captivating figure who embodied the spirit of the American frontier.