A new exhibit at the Gateway Science Museum in Chico pays tribute to the history of the California grizzly bear. Bear in Mind: The Story of the California Grizzly is now on display.
The iconic grizzly disappeared from California almost a century ago, but the legacy of these magnificent animals still echoes in our popular culture. It’s the symbol of our state, emblazoned on our flag.
Adrienne McGraw, the museum’s executive director, said the new exhibit is for everyone.
“There’s some artworks, there are some specimens, imagery from the 1800’s when settlers were just coming here and just strange ways we’ve kind of used grizzly bears as symbols,” McGraw said.
As visitors move around the gallery they’ll see large interpretive displays, art, historical photos, and fossils. There’s no grizzly on display but there is a kid’s corner. Museum curators have also provided age-appropriate explanations at some exhibit stations.
Much of the grizzly’s history is grim, including their disappearance from the state. Monarch, the bear commonly believed to be depicted on California’s flag, didn’t have a good life.
As the population of grizzly bears declined across the state, journalist William Randolph Hearst demanded capture of “the last live grizzly bear in California.” Monarch was caught by trappers and transported to San Francisco, where he lived for 22 years in a concrete cage at Golden Gate Park.
McGraw said there’s much to regret about our historical relationship with grizzlies. But there’s also much to appreciate.
“Bears are important to us as a symbol of California, a symbol of independence, of strength,” McGraw said. “And so we kind of have a strange dual relationship with grizzly bears and so the exhibit kind of tells all those nuances to our relationship with grizzlies.”
“Bear in Mind” runs through the end of May.
