James "Grizzly" Adams

Who was James "Grizzly" Adams?

John "Grizzly" Adams was a famous California mountain man and trainer of grizzly bears and other wild animals that he captured for menageries, zoological gardens and circuses. When Theodore H. Hittell met Adams in late 1856 at Adams' Mountaineer Museum in San Francisco, California, Adams first represented himself as William Adams, then a short time later told Hittell that his name was James Capen Adams; he maintained this alias into 1860. He also told Hittell that he was born on October 20, 1807, in Maine.

In the 1970s Schick Sunn Classic brought fame to the historical legend of 'Grizzly Adams' when it produced the highly successful motion picture, The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams starring Dan Haggerty. An NBC TV series of the same name starring Haggerty followed, also realizing great success while further delivering iconic status to the 'Grizzly Adams' moniker. Eventually the successful Grizzly Adams brand was trademarked by the film and television series creator, Chuck Sellier.