The bear was captured by tycoon H.L. Middleton and kept as a pet under his mercantile store. One night his brother and friends who had been drinking opened the gate to take a look at the bear who charged out into the night. The next morning a young child was delivering milk and ran into the bear which ran off. But the residents of the town did not want the bear around and a hunting party shot and killed the bear- the last in Boulder Creek.