MI 150559

Bear Spring
There is an exciting bear story connected with the name of Bear spring. Hereon as follows is a boiled down story that caused the little spring or mud hole to get its name. During the fall of 1914 I found some bear tracks around the now Bear Spring area where the bears were feeding on acorns. I borrowed a number five Newhouse trap from my uncle, Wm. A. Wright and soon had it set for a bear.
The next morning I found the trap gone and bear tracks all around. I tied my horse and started after the bear on foot. The trap had a toggle which was too small to stop a large black bear. I tracked him for about a mile and found the toggle that had lost off of the trap. So now he had only the trap, and he was a big bear. He went in a circle for two or more miles. When I over taken him in a small opening surrounded by thick brush, I was about close enough to smell his breath when he was snapping his jaws together, and he was looking right at me. I didn't crowd him a bit, or I didn't shoot either for I didn't see a any get-away place in case of a poorly placed shot with my 44-40 Colt "New Service," revolver. I was sort of glad when he decided to go on his way down the hill, and when he did I fired a shot and missed, but when he came in view again I fired three more shots and killed him.
When I got back to my young saddle horse I had a hard time getting on him after skinning out the bear, for nearly all horses are afraid of bear scent and he was one that was really afraid. I thought he was going to buck in spite of everything I could do to keep him from it. He had before bucked me off a few times and I thought he could do it once more and I didn't want him loose on the range with a good outfit to loose some place.