b'Bear continued from page 18girls. The youngest daughter, Ida, was but five when the marriage broke up. Mattie and Stephen had settled in the old Pump House area eight miles below Flagstaff. They built a small log cabin before moving across the creek to a flat. There they built a cabin with a bay window. Today, the cabin, across from the Junipine Resort, still stands with many of the original fruit trees Stephen and Mattie planted still growing.Mattie Divorces AgainAfter Mattie and Stephen divorced, Mattie married James Cook who had a horse and cattle ranch on Mingus Mountain above Jerome. Cook had five children that Mattie helped to raise. Mattie said she divorced Stephen because he drank too much. She found that Cook had the same fault, along with being a notorious womanizer. Mattie finally divorced Cook as well. cabin, having come from their home in Jerome. They were friends of the Thompsons and J.J. had invited Mattie Howard Purtymun Cook made hundreds ofthem to use the cabin at Indian Gardens anytime they quilts during her life in the Verde Valley. She was famouswanted to spend a few days fishing. The Goodwins had for her fine knitting and crocheting. She died in 1951,come to get the key to the cabin to take Thompson up having outlived four of her nine children, her brotheron the offer. Margrett told them of her fears about the Andy & Tina Incardona Jess, who died in 1923, and both of her ex-husbands, atmissing Wilson and that the key to the Indians Gardens the age of 93. cabin was with him. The Goodwins set out to search for 623-258-0207 93 The end for Father and Daughter Wilson. Before they left Margrett told them that Wilson had spotted the tracks of a giant grizzly around Oak 7100 E. Cave Creek Rd., Ste. 135 Bear Howard died in 1910, at age 93. By 1925, BearCreek and he was obsessed with getting that bear. She Howards original Oak Creek Canyon had beenalso related that Wilson had given her husband a large Cave Creek, AZ 85331 purchased and was turned into the famous Mayhewscaliber bear gun to take to Prescott for repairs and so he Tuesday - Friday 9:00 to 6:00 Oak Creek Lodge. Many a movie star and dignitarywas armed only with a small-caliber rifle.ended up at the lodge, stomping in the footprints of old Saturday 10:00 to 5:00 Bear Howard. The lodge burned in 1980. Its remainsThe SearchCaveCreekFarrierSupply@gmail.com can be seen today near the trailhead at West fork. WhileThe Goodwins set out on the rough trail that passed the lodge is long gone, stories of old Bear Howard whoSteamboat Rock and a mountain called Wilson pioneered the land on which it was built, still echoMountain, the only trail then to Indian Gardens. As cavecreeksaddlery_andy through the canyon. they neared the box canyon now crossed by Midgley Bridge, they heard a dog barking furiously and rode in Some say that when Bears body was found in 1910, athat direction. In the box canyon, they found the body bear cub was snuggled in his large cold lap. Nobody isof Wilson, his bear dog guarding what was left of his around who witnessed this iconic scene and the eventmaster. Wilsons body was face down in the stream. went unrecorded either in records or on film, but whosWhen the Goodwins turned him over they found that to say it didnt happen. he had been severely mauled by a bear. Big tracks were all around. A Beware the Bears coroners inquest was held at the Now bears, particularly grizzlies,scene a few days later.were a very real threat to many early settlers of Oak Creek Canyon. WhileWilsons Endmost folks were careful while walkingIt was determined that Wilson had around their cabins and homesteadsapparently discovered the big grizzly along the canyon, most probably werehe had been looking for as he went by not afraid of getting drowned by athe box canyon that first night on his bear. At least until an old Arkansasway to the cabin in Sedona. Wilson, bear hunter met his end at the paws ofwho had hunted bear all of his life, a grizzly in Oak Creek Canyon. had no fear of them. He followed the tracks up the canyon, spotted J.J. Thompson had claimed squattersthe bear and shot it with his rifle. rights in 1876 to a farm on Oak CreekHe only wounded the bear, which where Indian Gardens is today. Inmoved deeper up the canyon. Wilson 1880, Thompson married Margrett James, the daughter offollowed. As he passed a stand of Arizona Cypress, the Elizabeth and Abraham James. Thompson and his youngbear lunged out at him and caught the old bear hunter bride had a hired man named Richard Wilson. by surprise.Wilson & His Grizzly Wilson dropped his rifle and ran for a nearby tree, By 1885, Thompson had built his wife a cabin locatedscurrying up it but the bear managed to grab Wilson by near where the Sedona Arts Center is today. Wilsonthe heel of his boot before he was in the clear. Wilson tended the farm at the remote Indian Gardens in theclung desperately to the limb. The bear pulled on Wilson canyon. One day Thompson had to go to Prescott onso hard that the limb of the tree was almost twisted off. business. He asked Wilson to go down to the cabin andThe bear won, pulling Wilson into its clutches.look in on his spouse and the children while he was gone. Thompson left the next day but that night WilsonWilsons body was found 15 feet from the tree, where failed to show up at the cabin where Margrett and herhe had apparently crawled after the bear was finished two small children were alone. He failed to show up thewith him. He was seeking water to ease the pain and next eight nights as well. Margrett, knowing Wilson to bethirst from the deadly struggle. The coroner was satisfied a man of his word became worried fearing he was eitherwith the evidence at the inquest. Since Wilsons body sick or dead.was face down in the creek he ruled the cause of death as drowning. As far as we know, it was the first and On the ninth day that Thompson was gone, Judge Johnlast time, in Arizona Territory that a bear had officially Goodwin and his son, Tom, rode up to the Thompsondrowned a man. 20 October 2019'