HISTORY: Bear Stories, by Marie Templeton and The Rimrocker Historical Society

In the 1930s John and Alan Templeton rented the Meadows Ranch. Martin was on the Templeton Ranch on Tabeguache Creek doing the chores and irrigating. Their mother was in Nucla taking care of her husband, Dad Giles, who was ill.

One day Kenneth Fort was at the Meadows riding with John and they ran a bear cub up a tree. John decided he would catch the cub and Kenneth was supposed to hold the horses. John climbed the tree, threw his coat around the cub, and lowered him to the ground. He looked around and to his dismay found that Kenneth, afraid that the mother bear would come roaring to the rescue, had taken the horses a good distance away. After Kenneth and John got back together they took the cub to the Templeton Ranch and gave him to Martin to take care of. At first the cub was really wild and would fight and bite every time anyone came near. They housed him in a rabbit pen until he tamed down. Later they turned him loose when they could watch him and chained him to a tree when they couldn’t. He was really curious and could make a mess of something in the blink of an eye. They named him Teddy.

Teddy liked to bully the dogs. He would stand up on his hind feet and click his teeth; and the dogs would scamper out of his way. Finally it got so bad Martin sicced the dogs on the cub; and they ran him up a tree. After that Teddy left them alone. Teddy loved to go to the barn with Martin when he went to milk the cows. He would sit outside the pole fence and let Martin squirt milk into his mouth. He loved to play in the creek and would spend hours at that pastime. He loved to get in bed with Martin. He would stretch out on his back and when Martin covered him up he looked just like a person. When they fed him he would stand on his hind feet and hold his plate just like a person, and when they gave him a bottle of milk he would tip it up and drink it. The boys loved to wrestle with him until he got too big, then they had to quit before he hurt one of them. At haying time their mom came from town to cook for the boys. Teddy had never seen a woman in a dress. He took one look at her, gave a mighty woof and up the tree he went.

Someone turned them in for having the bear and the game warden came to the ranch to check out the story. He told the boys if they intended to keep the bear they would have to buy a license, which would cost $50.00. That was a lot of money and they didn’t have it so the game warden took Teddy to Montrose. Eventually he was placed in a zoo in Denver.

Picture Caption:

John Templeton and Teddy Bear