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Grizzly Adams

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Animal Expert

The Resume

    (October 22, 1812-October 25, 1860)
    Born in Medway, Massachusetts
    Birth name was John Boyden Adams
    Hunter, trapper, and mountain man
    Captured and trained several bears
    Exhibited his animals at the Mountain Museum in San Francisco
    Later teamed with P.T. Barnum
    Loosely inspired the movie (1974) and TV series (1977-78) 'The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams'

Why he might be annoying:

    He invested his life savings in footwear that he shipped to St. Louis with plans to sell it at a hefty markup to 49ers headed to California for the gold rush. Unfortunately, he lost the entire investment in a wharf fire (May 7, 1849).
    He then left his wife and kids behind in Massachusetts and headed to California himself.
    After making and losing a couple of fortunes in the gold fields, he headed into the Sierra Nevada Mountains to live by himself (1852).
    Despite the popularity of his exhibitions, he lost the museum building to his creditors (1859).
    During exhibitions, he would wrestle with his bears. During one show, a bear reopened an old scalp wound, leading to his death from complications.
    After selling his menagerie to Barnum. he ignored his doctors' recommendations and negotiated an additional $500 to perform with the animals for ten weeks. By the end of the contract, he could barely walk onto the stage (1860).

Why he might not be annoying:

    He apprenticed to a cobbler as a teen, learning the skills to fashion his own buckskin clothing, moccasins, harnesses, pack saddles, and snowshoes.
    He captured more live grizzlies than any one person before or since.
    He taught one of his bears, Lady Washington, to pull a sled and let herself be ridden by Adams.
    His grizzly Samson was the model for the bear on the California state flag.
    His pet bear Benjamin Franklin saved his life during an attack by a wild grizzly, although he suffered a serious scalp wound, including a depression in his skull the size of a silver dollar (1855).
    Between the sale of his menagerie and his performance bonus, he was able to provide financial security for his widow.

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 8 Votes: 37.50% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 6 Votes: 16.67% Annoying