Encyclopedia Dubuque
"Encyclopedia Dubuque is the online authority for all things Dubuque, written by the people who know the city best.”
Marshall Cohen—researcher and producer, CNN
Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
BEARS
BEARS. On September 18, 1863 a bear captured in Minnesota was pitted in a fight with two bull terriers at the TIVOLI GARDENS. "This will be an exciting contest and will draw a crowd." (1) During the fight, the bear broke its chain and climbed a tree. Neither the owner of the bear nor the dogs could claim the $100 prize, so another fight was scheduled for September 19th. (2) From the report of that fight, it appeared both sides received a "terrible worrying." (3)
The city reported sightings of bears within the city limits of Dubuque on Memorial Day, 2015. These were the first reported sightings in at least five years. Shortly before 11:30 a.m. Ginnifer Weiler called Dubuque police to report seeing a bear in her backyard at 370 Julien Dubuque Drive. Investigations by a representative of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources indicated that the tracks were those of a black bear weighing between 100 to 200 pounds. (4)
Shortly after Weiler's call, Dubuque officials were alerted to sightings of a second bear near 1100 Mount Carmel. At about 1:30 p.m. a third call reported two bears at once in the 100 block of Julien Dubuque Drive. (5)
On June 11, 2001 a black bear was photographed wandering through the parking lot of DUTRAC COMMUNITY CREDIT UNION north of the city. The sighting supported the theory of the Dubuque County Conservation executive director Brian Preston that a black bear was now a resident of the area. Once native to Iowa, the number of black bears was seriously depleted after the mid-1800s due to increased human population. (6)
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Source:
1. "Bear Fight," Dubuque Democratic Herald, September 17, 1863, p. 4. Online: https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=A36e8EsbUSoC&dat=18630917&printsec=frontpage&hl=en
2. "Bear Fight," Dubuque Democratic Herald," September 19, 1863. p. 4. Online: https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=A36e8EsbUSoC&dat=18630919&printsec=frontpage&hl=en
3. "Bear Fight," Dubuque Democratic Herald, September 20, 1863. p. 4. Online: https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=A36e8EsbUSoC&dat=18630920&printsec=frontpage&hl=en
4. Montgomery, Jeff. "Dubuque and the Two Bears," Telegraph Herald, May 26, 2015, p. 1
5. Ibid.
6. "Black Bear Sighted Near Dubuque Credit Union," Telegraph Herald, June 12, 2021, p. 2A