Monarch, a grizzly bear, represents a significant piece of California’s natural history. He was one of the last wild grizzly bears captured in the state during the late 19th century. His story intertwines with the development of San Francisco, where he became a prominent public figure. His journey from the wilderness to urban exhibition cemented his place in the state’s collective memory.
The Capture of Monarch
William Randolph Hearst, the newspaper magnate behind the San Francisco Examiner, initiated Monarch’s capture. He commissioned the expedition in 1889 as a publicity stunt to boost readership. Reporter Allen Kelley was tasked with finding and capturing a live California grizzly, a species already declining due to hunting and habitat loss.
Kelley and his team spent five to six months searching the remote Ojai Valley in Ventura County. They lured a large grizzly into a log catch pen, baited with honey and mutton. The bear, named Monarch after Hearst’s newspaper tagline “Monarch of the Dailies,” was transported by sled, wagon, and railroad to San Francisco, arriving on November 3, 1889.
Life in Golden Gate Park
Upon arrival in San Francisco, Monarch was offered to the Golden Gate Park menagerie, but declined. Hearst then exhibited the bear at Woodward’s Gardens, a popular zoo and amusement park. On opening day, November 10, 1889, over 20,000 people saw the “only California grizzly in captivity”.
Monarch moved to a dedicated enclosure in Golden Gate Park around 1894, living there for 22 years. Described as independent and militant, he displayed a fierce spirit in captivity. He accepted peace offerings but tolerated no petting, maintaining an “armed neutrality”. Monarch, estimated at 1,200 to 1,600 pounds, became a major city attraction and a symbol of strength after the 1906 earthquake.
Monarch’s Enduring Legacy
Monarch died in 1911 after 22 years in captivity, reportedly from rheumatoid arthritis and paralysis. After his death, taxidermist Vernon Shepherd preserved his pelt, and the California Academy of Sciences acquired his remains. The taxidermied figure of Monarch is displayed at the California Academy of Sciences. His skeleton was sent to UC Berkeley’s Museum of Vertebrate Zoology for research.
Monarch’s image became the model for the grizzly bear depicted on the California state flag. While bear symbolism appeared on California flags as early as 1846, the flag’s design was standardized in 1911, the year Monarch died, and finalized in 1953. The flag designer, Don Kelley (no relation to Allen Kelley), worked at the Academy and likely used Monarch’s taxidermied body as a model. This enduring image makes Monarch a powerful representation of California’s lost wilderness and an iconic figure of state identity.