Finally, Glacier’s leaders were forced to face the truth: It was not heat or fires or lightning that had caused the grizzlies to turn violent. They looked over at their campsite. Grizzlies have lived in North America for about 50,000 years—far longer than humans have. Nearly all the rest were chased from their habitats. Two 14-year-old boys, Steve Ashlock and John Cook, were enjoying a fishing trip in Montana’s Glacier National Park. SEAN XU/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM (GLACIER NATIONAL PARK); JIM MCMAHON/MAPMAN ® (MAP), Where in the World: Glacier National Park. Both worked at the East Glacier Park Lodge. Five winners will each receive a Storyworks prize. In the days that followed, this was the question that echoed across Glacier’s forests and lakes. [13] One specialist at the time calculated the odds were greater than 1 in a million for a single attack but the odds of two separate attacks in a 4 hour time span were beyond measure; these odds were calculated based on the 57-year history of no fatal attacks. Originally written as a journalist piece, Olsen realized the story required far more attention. Glacier had been crowded all summer. [9]:42–43 The caretaker was instructed not to feed the bears, but he felt those instructions were only being stated pro forma and after checking with the concessionaire, kept the practice. It wasn’t until the early 1800s that stories of these larger, more powerful bears began to reach the East. The first people arrived more than 12,000 years ago. They hiked several miles up to Trout Lake, one of the glittering lakes set among Glacier’s thick forests and rugged mountains. "[11], Olsen's book examines the most plausible explanation of the unlikely dual attacks[12] since no fatal grizzly attack had ever been recorded in the park's 57-year history prior to that night. But then it started to tear apart their backpacks. In fact, they felt lucky to see one of Earth’s most amazing creatures in the wild. In the U.S., grizzly bears can be found in…. Grizzlies do have fearsome powers. In Glacier’s 57-year history, there had never been a single deadly grizzly bear attack. A skinny grizzly was devouring a loaf of their bread. The Night of the Grizzly is a 1966 Western starring Clint Walker, Martha Hyer, Jack Elam, Keenan Wynn, and Leo Gordon.. Ex-lawman Big Jim Cole and his family have moved to Wyoming to start a simpler and safer life on a ranch. I was able to find out that Roy Ducat passed from this earth about 2 years ago. More specifically, it was the garbage that people were leaving all over the park—leftover food at campsites, wrappers and broken bottles on trails. Check back soon for more announcements and tutorials. "[16], The narrative pacing and graphic descriptions were said to influence later genre fiction, including First Blood (David Morrell, 1970), The Rats (James Herbert, 1974), and Off Season (Jack Ketchum, 1980). Actually, it was the garbage that people were leaving all over the park. Learning Objective: Students will read a narrative nonfiction article and identify how humans’ leaving garbage in national parks changed the behavior and well-being of grizzly bears, and what happened as a result. How and why two different grizzly bear attacks occurred (resulting in two fatalities) on the same night is what author Jack Olsen carefully and thoughtfully describes in "Night of the Grizzlies." Her front paw was badly torn, likely from broken glass. Terror was just ahead. Before students read the article, have them watch this fascinating video about the work being done in Glacier to help understand grizzly bears. Bears that eat human food and garbage can lose their natural fear of humans, which puts them—and humans— at risk. Some of these stories made grizzlies seem like monsters who hunted humans. Access this article and hundreds more like it with a subscription to Storyworks magazine. There's a treacherous grizzly bear on a murderous rampage, angry neighbors who covet his property and an outlaw he once sent to prison is back for revenge. Directed by Joseph Pevney and written by Warren Douglas, the film was released by Paramount Pictures on April 20, 1966. They will eat almost anything but prefer roots and berries. When the first people arrived, more than 12,000 years ago, tens of thousands of grizzlies lived up and down the western part of the continent. That’s faster than any Olympic sprinter.Â, Invite students to browse through the article, looking at the pictures, captions, map, and sidebar. It was the garbage in the park that had turned the grizzlies into killers. [9][15][5] A 37-page prologue was added for the book. It was what happened the next evening that filled them with terror. It was Pevney's final film. vocabulary, supporting details, key idea, text evidence, synthesizing, analyzing, critical thinking, narrative writingÂ. They usually avoid humans. They set up their campsite and fished. For years, rangers and park leaders had known trash was a problem. After a terrifying 4-mile hike through the darkness, they arrived at a ranger station. Their front paws can crack a skull in one swipe. John and Steve made it out of the wilderness that night. Some were the smaller and more common black bears. Send it to “Grizzlies Contest” by December 1, 2020. [3], On orders from park management, rangers were armed and told to shoot any bear they found at Trout Lake and Granite Park Chalet. The boys spent the night in a cabin. It was July 1967. Most lived in the northern wilderness of Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming. Ducat was awakened by Helgeson, who whispered a bear was nearby and they should stay as still as possible; despite this, the bear approached them and mauled them both. It is known as "Night of the Grizzlies," a story with enough gravity to grab national headlines and cause the national park system to re-examine wildlife policies. By the mid-1900s, scientists had come to understand that grizzlies were not mindless monsters. From the early 1900s through the 1940s in Yellowstone National Park, “lunch counters” were used to lure bears for tourists’ entertainment. But few creatures inspired awe like the grizzly. They will eat almost anything but prefer roots and berries. During the night, two 19-year-old women had been killed by two different grizzly bears. There was lightning the night Michele Koons and Julie Helgeson died. A historical documentary about the dramatic and tragic events of August 12, 1967, when two grizzlies, in two remote areas of the Park attacked campers and killed two young women. Normally, a grizzly attacks only if taken by surprise or if it feels threatened. This dramatic and tragic story, and how it eventually influenced the fate of the grizzly bear in the continental United States, takes center stage in the historic Glacier had been packed with visitors all summer. (Grizzled means streaked with gray.). Grizzlies hunt with their noses and can sniff out food a mile away. Night of the Grizzlies, Jack Olsen's true account, traces the causes of that tragic night: the rangers' disregard of established safety precautions and persistent warning by seasoned campers that some of the bears were acting "funny" and the comforting belief that the great bears were not really dangerous. A great western adventure! The boys could tell because these bears had lighter-colored fur and a hump between their shoulders. A few even spotted grizzly bears. On a summer night in 1967, a tragedy in Glacier National Park would transform the way we care for wild places. This is a beautiful lake surrounded by Glacier’s thick forests and rugged mountains. 1966 Directed by Joseph Pevney. By the time John and Steve were growing up in Montana, fewer than 1,000 grizzlies remained in the lower 48 states. One camper awoke with the bear sniffing her sleeping bag, but remained still and the bear moved on; when the bear was investigating Koons, Koons woke and screamed; the other four campers were able to escape by climbing trees, but the zipper on Koons's sleeping bag was stuck and the bear dragged her approximately 300 feet (91 m) away from the campsite. Hawks peered down from trees. Patrol ranger Bert Gildart was driving down the highest pass in Glacier National Park just after midnight on Aug. 13, 1967, when a woman’s voice suddenly crackled over his two-way radio. Their jaws can chomp through metal and bone. It also includes a map and a sidebar with details about grizzlies. Have students partake in a virtual “silent conversation.” Create a shared Google Doc with memorable quotes from the article. Grizzlies’ claws can grow up to 4 inches long. Both women, Julie Helgeson, 19, of Albert Lea, Minnesota, and Michele Koons, 19, of San Diego, California, died of their injuries. They set up their campsite and feasted on the trout they caught in the lake. In the late fall or early winter, grizzly bears dig a hole called a den, where they hibernate for up to seven months. G | 1h 42min | Adventure, Western | 20 April 1966 (USA) 2:32 | Trailer. They began losing their natural shyness toward humans and moved into busier parts of the park. Synopsis. Eighteen-year-old Roy Ducat and 19-year-old Julie Helgeson set up camp a quarter-mile away from the Granite Park Chalet. If a grizzly was seen near a trail, the trail would be closed. But the real problem wasn’t the bears. They looked over at their campsite. I thought I would share, because I am unable to find it on YouTube. The bear was emaciated and was also found to have glass in its gums. Feeding human food to a wild animal is unhealthy for the animal. Rangers cleaned up the trails and campgrounds. The boys spent the night in a cabin. It was what happened the next evening that filled them with terror. They hoped the bear would leave. “Night of the Grizzlies,” as the events came to be known, “was really the wake up call,” he says. Many of America’s first people came to see these bears as sacred creatures. However, financial troubles and the machinations of the unscrupulous town boss Jed Curry—who wants their land for his no-good sons—soon land them on the edge of ruin. For everyone involved, it remains an unforgettable night of crisis, intense fear, bravery and, ultimately, grief.