Bear, Paul W., Elko County, Nevada

On the eastern outskirts of Elko, Nevada, just east of the Nevada Youth Training Center, and overlooking the I-80 freeway is a rather large black bear monument. I have driven by this bear many times and always wondered what it was all about. On July 27, 2003, curiosity got the best of me - so my boy and I made our way up to the bear "to see what we could see". The bear measures approximately 5 feet in height and 10 feet in length and is constructed of a single sheet of thick steel plate. It rests on a railroad tie foundation with a bed of white rounded river rocks. The monument is rather difficult to access as it is blocked by barb wire fences and there are no roads to it. The monument had to have taken a great deal of time, effort, and manual labor to construct. Whoever made it obviously cared a great deal about Mr. Bear. At the the base of the bear's front paws is a VFW stone monument (shown below). Also on the monument are weathered American flags, some rusty horseshoes and a heart-shaped hummingbird plaque.

Standing by the monument I thought that the view from the monument was excellent. From here you can watch the traffic on the I-80 freeway (built in 1975), see the grounds of the old Nevada Industrial School (begun in 1913), overlook the Union Pacific Railroad tracks constructed here when East met West in 1869. From here you can also see the meandering Humboldt River and the California Trail where wagon trains heading west passed by here from 1844 - 1870. You can see the cattle and horses wandering in green pastures. Then my thoughts turned back to Paul Bear. Who was he and why was the monument here? That is what this page is all about.

Mr. Paul Bear was a cowboy, rancher, Army Staff Sergeant during World War II, husband (Betty "Reed" Bear of North Fork was his wife), father, grandfather and great-grandfather, business man (he purchased Elko's J.M. Capriola Company store in 1973 (the store is still owned by the family) and later added the historic and famous Garcia Bit and Spur Company to the store's saddle shop. He was also a good man - by the West's true measure of what a good man is. If you wish to add more ... just let me know.

Photograph of bear monument taken from westbound lane of I-80 freeway looking toward Elko.

Photos taken the evening of July 27, 2003

Looking toward Elko. The trees in the distance is the eastern extension of the Nevada Youth Training Center Campus.

Looking toward Wells, Nevada.

VFW stone monument at front paws of bear

Hummingbird Plaque

View from the Bear (looking east)

View from Bear looking toward the Humboldt River

View from bear looking toward Elko. Nevada Youth Training Center Bird Farm is in the foreground.

J. M. Capriola Co.

At 500 Commercial is J.M. Capriola Company. Joe Capriola opened the shop after apprenticing under the Spanish leather and silver craftsman Guadalupe S. Garcia, who moved to Elko in 1893.

Links

Elko, My Home, Elko, Elko County, Nv

Elko County Veterans

Elko NV Military Discharge Records 1945-1960 - by J. Swett