The Golden Bear is a creature from American folklore, described as a very large brown bear with golden fur said to have lived near Turner, Kansas. Stories tell of it raiding settlements, feeding on Shawnee animals and escaping a combined Shawnee and Wyandot hunt.
- A huge golden brown bear was reported near Turner, Kansas.
- John Gardiner wrote in 1831 that local Indigenous people feared and admired it.
- It was said to raid settlements and eat animals owned by the Shawnee.
- Shawnee and Wyandot hunters joined forces but failed to track it.
- Turner High School made it a mascot in 1886.
What it is
The Golden Bear is a creature in American folklore, described as a very large brown bear with golden fur. The story places it near Turner, Kansas, in hills south of a river and west of a Methodist Mission. Local Indigenous people are said to have feared and admired the animal. In the tale it raids settlements and feeds on animals owned by Shawnee people. A ferry crew reported seeing it in the 1830s and 1840s. Brown bears can be heavy, and the grizzly and Kodiak are North American subspecies of Ursus arctos.
Where it comes from
The earliest report named here comes from John Gardiner in 1831. He wrote that the local Indigenous population both feared and admired a great Golden Bear. The animal was said to live in the hills west of the Methodist Mission, south of the river near Turner, Kansas. It was called the largest bear the local people had seen. It raided settlements and ate animals belonging to the Shawnee. Many people wanted to kill it, both for pride and for its hide, which was highly sought after. During the 1830s and 1840s ferry workers saw it more than once. Shawnee and Wyandot hunters formed a party, but they could not track it down.
Golden Bear, drawn and placed
- Living
- Revived
- Fading
- Historical
- Legendary
- Performed
- Lineage
- American folklore
Peoples and places
The legend is tied to the area around Turner, Kansas. The Shawnee are named as the owners of the animals the bear fed on, and Shawnee and Wyandot people together formed the hunting party. John Gardiner reports that the local Indigenous population feared and admired the bear. Later the name spread through schools and universities in the United States and Canada, where the Golden Bear or Golden Bears became a sporting mascot. The University of Alberta in Edmonton is one of the Canadian institutions that uses it.
At a glance: who, where and when
What people believe
The story presents the Golden Bear as an animal of unusual size and colour. Its power appears through raids on settlements and through feeding on animals owned by the Shawnee. The wish to kill it is tied to pride and to the value of its hide. A combined Shawnee and Wyandot hunt fails to track it. These details present the bear as dangerous and admired within local storytelling.
Compare and confuse
The Golden Bear is described as a golden-coated member of Ursus arctos, the brown bear. The grizzly and the Kodiak bear are named as North American subspecies of that same species. The name also appears as a mascot in several places, including Turner High School, Kutztown University of Pennsylvania and the University of California at Berkeley, where supporters are Golden Bears and the mascot is Oski the Bear.
Today
The bear now lives mainly as a sporting emblem. Turner High School took it in 1886 after a community contest; Warren Hewitt and Jule Gaignet entered the icon, having heard the story from their grandparents. Kutztown University of Pennsylvania changed its teams to the Golden Bears in 1961. The University of California at Berkeley calls its students and teams Golden Bears and uses Oski the Bear as mascot. Other schools and universities have also used the name.
Questions people ask about Golden Bear
What is the Golden Bear?
It is a creature in American folklore: a very large brown bear with golden fur, said to have lived near Turner, Kansas. Stories tell of it raiding settlements and avoiding hunters.
Where does the story come from?
The tale is set near Turner, Kansas, in hills south of a river and west of a Methodist Mission. John Gardiner reported in 1831 that local Indigenous people feared and admired the bear.
Did anyone try to kill it?
Shawnee and Wyandot people formed a hunting party, but the story says they could not track the bear down. Many people wanted to kill it for pride and for its sought-after hide.
Why is it called Golden Bear?
The animal is described as a golden-coated member of Ursus arctos, the brown bear. Its colour gives the name used in the legend and later by sports teams.
How is it remembered today?
Mainly as a mascot. Turner High School chose the bear in 1886 after a community contest. Other schools and universities have also used the Golden Bear or Golden Bears name.
Good reading and sources
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Golden Bear (legend)", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, and from its Wikidata record (CC0). EveryJaadu rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.
It may contain mistakes. Names and customs differ from one community to the next, and some knowledge is closed to outsiders and left out here. This page describes belief and practice. It does not say that any of it works, it is not a how-to, and it is not medical advice. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-19.
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