Old Ephraim
 |
|
| Species | Grizzly bear |
|---|---|
| Sex | Male |
| Died | August 22, 1923 |
| Nation from | United States |
Old Ephraim or Ol' Ephraim is a term popularized in the 1800s American west to refer to grizzly bears. More recently, Old Ephraim (known as "Old Three Toes" by sheepherders due to a deformity on one foot) was a very large grizzly bear that roamed the Cache National Forest from circa 1911 until his death on August 22, 1923. He was named after a grizzly bear in California described in a story by P. T. Barnum.
The grizzly bear was identified by its distinctive tracks. The bear lived alternately from as far north as Soda Springs, Idaho, to as far south as Weber County, Utah, before settling in Logan Canyon, about 20 miles east of Logan, Utah.
Frank Clark (born 1879 in Cherry Creek, Idaho, near Malad City, Idaho) was a part owner of the Ward Clark Sheep Company since his arrival there in July 1911. During his first summer in Cache National Forest, he counted 154 adult sheep dead, that were killed by bears in the area. He is said to have once killed 50 sheep at a time.
In 1914, Frank Clark set out to stop Old Ephraim. He set many traps in Old Ephraim's favorite wallows, but the traps were always removed, un-sprung, or flung away. Although Frank Clark seldom saw the bear, dead sheep around the herd indicated its presence. Despite Clark's efforts, Old Ephraim killed more and more sheep without being stopped.
Frank Clark shot Old Ephraim in the head on 22 August 1923 with a .25-35 carbine rifle with five rounds. It reportedly took all five rounds to kill the bear. Clark described killing Old Ephraim as "the hardest of them [the bears] all". Clark planned to kill the bear in 1914, but did not succeed until 1923. On the night of 21 August, he woke to "a roar and groan", and took his gun to investigate. At this time, Clark says he was unaware it was Old Ephraim. After several unsuccessful shots, Clark finally found the bear, which had been caught in a trap Clark set earlier. Even after he used five of his five rounds, the bear did not go down, so Clark started heading for Logan (20 miles away). After about 20 yards he turned around to find the bear being harassed by his dog, so he went closer and shot Old Ephraim in the head. Clark would express remorse for having to do it. Old Ephraim was skinned and buried, but was later dug up by Boy Scout Troop 43, which sent the skull to the Smithsonian. Most of the remains were taken by tourists as souvenirs.
...
Wikipedia