Mountain Charlie Bear Fight

Mountain Charlie Bear Fight (HM105H)

Location: Los Gatos, CA 95033 Santa Cruz County
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Country: United States of America
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N 37° 7.616', W 121° 59.34'

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Inscription
Near here in Mountain Charlie Gulch on May 8, 1854, Charles Henry "Mountain Charlie" McKiernan and a friend named Taylor were attacked by a Grizzly Bear. The bear sprang from a thicket, both men fired; but the bear grabbed Mountain Charlie, biting him on the arms and face. A piece of skull about 4 inches square was bitten from over Mountain Charlie's left eye and nose by the bear.
Dr. T.J. Ingersoll of San Jose prepared a plate of silver and applied it to the area of the missing skull at McKiernan's request. In the ensuing week, the plate was not healing and it was removed against Mountain Charlie's protests. About a year later an operation to remove an abscess under the brain relieved his intolerable pain. Mountain Charlie was much disfigured from his wounds, but he survived another 38 years. Thus began the legend and folklore about the man with the "silver skull."
Details
HM NumberHM105H
Series This marker is part of the E Clampus Vitus series
Tags
,
Year Placed1983
Placed ByE Clampus Vitus, Mountain Charlie Chapter No. 1850
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Friday, September 26th, 2014 at 8:15pm PDT -07:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)10S E 589806 N 4109431
Decimal Degrees37.12693333, -121.98900000
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 37° 7.616', W 121° 59.34'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds37° 7' 36.96" N, 121° 59' 20.40" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)408
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 26125 Pierce Rd, Los Gatos CA 95033, US
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