JOHN “GRIZZLY” ADAMS
Known also as “California’s
Greatest Mountain Man,”
John Grizzly Adams was a fa-
mous trainer of grizzly bears
– no kidding. Adams had a
unique ability that allowed
him to understand and con-
nect with nature in its purest
form. His love for the land
and the animals that roamed
it made him a legend.
He was only 21 years old
when he nearly died at the
claws of a tiger, and he al-
most gave his gift up right
then and there. After ranch-
ing, mining, and selling his
kills off proved to be of no
stable income, he was pen-
niless. He decided to take to
the mountains, where he
built a cabin and spent his
days with nature and nature
alone. It was during this time
that he really honed in on his
skillset and became an ex-
pert hunter and tracker,
which allowed him to capture
grizzlies and raise them. He
trained the bears to be his
pack hunters, and from
there, led many great expe-
ditions.
After realizing that this was
extraordinary to others, he
decided to take up an offer
to put his animals in shows
as performers. In the 1850s,
he would sell his animals to
P.T. Barnum for a sum that
would make his wife comfort-
able. Whil