Night Of The Grizzlies Changed How Parks Manage Bears

My Family Went To Apgar, Montana For A Week Every Year

One of my fondest memories of childhood is our family and the cousins heading up to Apgar for a week every summer.

Besides being the ONLY place I could ride my bike on the pavement, there was a lot to see, do and learn in Glacier. There was little adult supervision and it was simply glorious.

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Mom Had Me Read Night Of The Grizzlies On One Of The Trips

When I was 12 or right around there, my mom had me read Night Of The Grizzlies, a true story out of Glacier National Park from 1967. My mom always encouraged reading and often gave me books she'd already read and knew I'd like.

I'll tell you what, that book scared the heck out of me. You know what else it did? Made me attend the speaking events from the park rangers, particularly on how to live when encountering ANY kind of bear in the park. I still remember a lot of it to this day.

What Is The Story Behind Night Of The Grizzlies?

A brief synopsis: The book recounts the events in Glacier Park on August 13,1967 where 2 women were killed by grizzly bears in completely separate instances in Glacier.

Up until that night, there had been NO recorded deaths from bears in the national park. It's because of the events of that night that the first modern bear management policies were enacted like bear-proof garbage cans and having cooking at campsites away from where campers are sleeping.

I highly recommend the book. It is a bit scary, though.