Bears on Driftwood and Bridge Washouts in the Skykomish River
Heavy rains trigger a freshet in the mountains, leading to washed-out bridges and one very calm bear navigating the rapids on a log.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Jack Breckenridge and Barney Parrott, who have been camped at the mouth of Salmon Creek for a week, report having seen four bears floating down the river on driftwood. They say there were two brown bears, one silver tip, and the other a common black bear. They all appeared to be very much frightened with the exception of the silver tip, who seemed to be enjoying the occasion immensely, sitting astride of the log. As he passed the boys, he waved his paw gracefully at them and floated on down the river, using his tail as a rudder to steer the log through the rapids. The heavy rains and melting snows of last week caused a freshet in the Skykomish River and its tributaries. The bridge across the Wallace River was damaged to such an extent as to suspend travel for several days. The bridges at Foss River and Martin Creek were also carried away but have already been replaced.
“As he passed the boys he waved his paw gracefully at them and floated on down the river using his tail as a rudder.”
A vivid account of the rugged and volatile nature of the Cascade foothills in the early 1890s, where seasonal flooding remains a constant threat to infrastructure. The image of the 'silver tip' bear navigating the river serves as a surreal historical snapshot of the wild landscape that preceded the current sprawling development of the I-90 and Highway 2 corridors.
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