wayupnorth
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Northern Alberta
For many years i have heard the story of the Indian Girl who killed a grizzly bear with a 22.
I must admit that i was very skeptical about the story.
Over the years i started to hear more details and even the odd picture would float to the top of my internet search but nothing i would mark down at 'proof' that this did happen.
I think deep down inside I wanted to believe this was a true story because it is a incredible feat of bravery and accuracy from the lady.
So lets fast forward to a couple years ago...
I finally heard a name mentioned in a article - Bella Twin from Slave Lake Alberta (area).
Along with that information a new part to the puzzle that this grizzly bear was suppose to be a record holding bear for size!
May 10, 1953 near Slave Lake was when this happened (Swan Hills, Alberta)
Bear reported to be 10-foot tall, 1000 lb Grizzly.
This made me even more curious about the entire story and damn it i want to SEE this 22 and bear hide in person!!!!!
So as with a lot of things in life gets busy and work gets busy and things get forgotten.
Fast forward to today (this week).
I mentioned Bella Twin in a post here on CGN and her taking of the massive grizzly bear and was just short of being called a liar.
(@trebor2880)
Now, i cant fault the fella for calling me out on this, at this point to me this story was a internet legend and I had no hard proof.
Well hell, i went to college and university for 8 years - I know how to do research, why not put some of my super powers towards good instead of towards evil!?!?!?!?!
So i set out with a vigor to get as much information as i could about this and find out where this stuff is and find out what gun was used!
I found a couple articles and a mention of the shot in a book and it referenced the gun as a Stevens single shot.
but i stumbled upon a little reply in a blog article that said that someone had heard the gun and hide where in storage at the Reynolds Alberta Museum!
So i contacted the Reynolds Alberta Museum yesterday and asked about the Rifle and Grizzly Hide from Bella Twin.
I received a reply from them very fast and they informed me that yes they indeed had the items for a while in storage but have since given the items to the Royal Alberta Museum in Edmonton.
So i contacted the Royal Alberta Museum in Edmonton and inquired as to the items.
The Curator of Military and Political History got back to me today.
The Gun used by Bella Twin and the Grizzly Bear Hide are indeed at the Museum!!!!!
Unfortunately the museum is moving to a new location so everything is boxed up and they are going to be in the process of moving for a while.
The Curator will get me a couple color pics of the articles but was nice enough to give me some information about them until then.
The Rifle used by Bella Twin is a "Cooey Ace 1".
The rifle and the Grizzlies hide are both currently in storage at the Royal Alberta Museum in Edmonton (as of current date March 2017)
Before that they where in long term storage at the Reynolds Alberta Museum.
Before that they where owned by the owner of the Slave Lake Hotel a who purchased the items directly from Bella Twin.
Mr Reinhold Eben - an outfitter - purchased the Bears Skull and sent it to Boone and Crockett Society in New York where it was certified as the world record for size a record it held for many years.
if you go and watch this video it is a interview with Reinhold Eben-Ebeanau son showing his dads trophy room and he shows Bella Twins Grizzly Skull and discusses it at the 1:30 mark.
he has said the gun is (in his words) in 'deplorable condition' as Bella Twin used it for many years on her trap line.
She was 65 years old when she shot the bear in 1953.
here is a newspaper article from 1957 telling some history about her and the shot.
the article is on page 51.
https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=Hx6RvaqUy9IC&dat=19570316&printsec=frontpage&hl=en
here is a quote from the curator of the museum about the gun when i talked to him via email:
" I can tell you that the rifle is a .22 caliber single shot Cooey Ace 1. I can also tell you that the rifle’s condition, which has remained as it was when Bella Twin shot the bear, leaves a lot to be desired. There is corrosion on the receiver and barrel, the front screw that holds the stock to the barrel is missing and has been replaced with hockey tape. There is a piece of rubber under the barrel – probably as a method of “free floating” the barrel. There is no finish left on the wood. The stock is missing a part by the receiver and there is a wood screw reinforcing a crack in the stock."
so that is some good information there.
id like to also submit the following:
as of 2016 the Alberta Outdoorsman lists Bella Twin as being the record holder for the biggest grizzly taken with a skull of 26 5/16 from 1953 (which includes a photo of the winning skull)
and you can see the record book here (click me!)
I hope this helps to shed some light on a interesting lady and event.
One things im still curious about and there seems to be some debate on is what round did she use?
speculation is she was using 22 shorts because she was a trapper and would be using shorts so as not to wreck the hides plus the price difference, but some say Longs would have had to been used - im leaning towards the 22 short.
so let see, credible information was requested on this event.
i have sited submitted for your approval:
(1) news paper article from a credible news paper and
(2) the record book showing the record holder for Alberta and
(3) Boone and Crockett record listing skull
(4) direct contact with the curator from the museum that holds the items along with its ownership history.
(5) video from the North Shore Homestead Museum showing the skull
i think we can mark this as confirmed unless anyone has any violent objections, yes?
I must admit that i was very skeptical about the story.
Over the years i started to hear more details and even the odd picture would float to the top of my internet search but nothing i would mark down at 'proof' that this did happen.
I think deep down inside I wanted to believe this was a true story because it is a incredible feat of bravery and accuracy from the lady.
So lets fast forward to a couple years ago...
I finally heard a name mentioned in a article - Bella Twin from Slave Lake Alberta (area).
Along with that information a new part to the puzzle that this grizzly bear was suppose to be a record holding bear for size!
May 10, 1953 near Slave Lake was when this happened (Swan Hills, Alberta)
Bear reported to be 10-foot tall, 1000 lb Grizzly.
This made me even more curious about the entire story and damn it i want to SEE this 22 and bear hide in person!!!!!
So as with a lot of things in life gets busy and work gets busy and things get forgotten.
Fast forward to today (this week).
I mentioned Bella Twin in a post here on CGN and her taking of the massive grizzly bear and was just short of being called a liar.
(@trebor2880)
Now, i cant fault the fella for calling me out on this, at this point to me this story was a internet legend and I had no hard proof.
Well hell, i went to college and university for 8 years - I know how to do research, why not put some of my super powers towards good instead of towards evil!?!?!?!?!
So i set out with a vigor to get as much information as i could about this and find out where this stuff is and find out what gun was used!
I found a couple articles and a mention of the shot in a book and it referenced the gun as a Stevens single shot.
but i stumbled upon a little reply in a blog article that said that someone had heard the gun and hide where in storage at the Reynolds Alberta Museum!
So i contacted the Reynolds Alberta Museum yesterday and asked about the Rifle and Grizzly Hide from Bella Twin.
I received a reply from them very fast and they informed me that yes they indeed had the items for a while in storage but have since given the items to the Royal Alberta Museum in Edmonton.
So i contacted the Royal Alberta Museum in Edmonton and inquired as to the items.
The Curator of Military and Political History got back to me today.
The Gun used by Bella Twin and the Grizzly Bear Hide are indeed at the Museum!!!!!
Unfortunately the museum is moving to a new location so everything is boxed up and they are going to be in the process of moving for a while.
The Curator will get me a couple color pics of the articles but was nice enough to give me some information about them until then.
The Rifle used by Bella Twin is a "Cooey Ace 1".
The rifle and the Grizzlies hide are both currently in storage at the Royal Alberta Museum in Edmonton (as of current date March 2017)
Before that they where in long term storage at the Reynolds Alberta Museum.
Before that they where owned by the owner of the Slave Lake Hotel a who purchased the items directly from Bella Twin.
Mr Reinhold Eben - an outfitter - purchased the Bears Skull and sent it to Boone and Crockett Society in New York where it was certified as the world record for size a record it held for many years.
if you go and watch this video it is a interview with Reinhold Eben-Ebeanau son showing his dads trophy room and he shows Bella Twins Grizzly Skull and discusses it at the 1:30 mark.
he has said the gun is (in his words) in 'deplorable condition' as Bella Twin used it for many years on her trap line.
She was 65 years old when she shot the bear in 1953.
here is a newspaper article from 1957 telling some history about her and the shot.
the article is on page 51.
https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=Hx6RvaqUy9IC&dat=19570316&printsec=frontpage&hl=en
here is a quote from the curator of the museum about the gun when i talked to him via email:
" I can tell you that the rifle is a .22 caliber single shot Cooey Ace 1. I can also tell you that the rifle’s condition, which has remained as it was when Bella Twin shot the bear, leaves a lot to be desired. There is corrosion on the receiver and barrel, the front screw that holds the stock to the barrel is missing and has been replaced with hockey tape. There is a piece of rubber under the barrel – probably as a method of “free floating” the barrel. There is no finish left on the wood. The stock is missing a part by the receiver and there is a wood screw reinforcing a crack in the stock."
so that is some good information there.
id like to also submit the following:
as of 2016 the Alberta Outdoorsman lists Bella Twin as being the record holder for the biggest grizzly taken with a skull of 26 5/16 from 1953 (which includes a photo of the winning skull)
and you can see the record book here (click me!)
I hope this helps to shed some light on a interesting lady and event.
One things im still curious about and there seems to be some debate on is what round did she use?
speculation is she was using 22 shorts because she was a trapper and would be using shorts so as not to wreck the hides plus the price difference, but some say Longs would have had to been used - im leaning towards the 22 short.
so let see, credible information was requested on this event.
i have sited submitted for your approval:
(1) news paper article from a credible news paper and
(2) the record book showing the record holder for Alberta and
(3) Boone and Crockett record listing skull
(4) direct contact with the curator from the museum that holds the items along with its ownership history.
(5) video from the North Shore Homestead Museum showing the skull
i think we can mark this as confirmed unless anyone has any violent objections, yes?
Last edited:
