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San Francisco Zoo in San Francisco City and County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)
 

Monarch's Tale

 
 
Monarch's Tale Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Joseph Alvarado, June 3, 2023
1. Monarch's Tale Marker
Inscription. Monarch is thought to have been the last living grizzly bear in captivity in California. He was wild-caught in 1889 as a result of a search requested by San Francisco Examiner media magnate, William Randolph Hearst. A crowd of 20,000 gathered at the train station in San Francisco to welcome Monarch.

Monarch lived for 16 years at Woodward Gardens, a private zoo in the Mission District. He then was moved to the first City zoo in Golden Gate Park. Monarch survived the 1906 earthquake and was a symbol of the rejuventation of San Francisco. He was used as a model for the grizzly bear on the California state flag, and inspired Herbert Fleishhacker to pursue his dream of a San Francisco Zoo at this location. Living for 22 years in captivity, Monarch sired two cubs. Monarch died in 1911, but his spirit lives on as a symbol of the City’s understanding of sharing spaces with vanishing wildlife.

Monarch (Monarca) llegó a San Francisco en 1889. Su imagen fue usada como modelo para el oso grizzly de le bandera de California. Monarch murió un 1911, el último oso grizzly salvaje capturado en California. Su espíritu sigue viviendo como
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un Símbolo de la comprensión de la Cuidad de que debe compartir el espacio con una vida silvestra cada vez más escasa.

Online Spanish translation: [ Monarch arrived in San Francisco in 1889. His image was used as a model for the grizzly bear on the California flag. Monarch died in 1911, the last wild grizzly bear captured in California. His spirit lives on as a Symbol of the City's understanding that it must share space with dwindling wildlife.]

Monarch 于 1889 年来到旧金山,他的形象被用在了加利福尼亚州州旗上的灰熊图案中。 帝王灰熊于 1911 年去世,是加利福尼亚州仅存的一只灰熊。 它的精神延续象征着这座城市对濒危野生动物的同情。 使用空间意识。

Online
Monarch's Tale Marker & Statue image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Joseph Alvarado, June 3, 2023
2. Monarch's Tale Marker & Statue
simplified Chinese translation: [Monarch came to San Francisco in 1889, and his image was used in the grizzly bear pattern on the state flag of California. Monarch died in 1911, the last remaining grizzly bear in California. Its spiritual perpetuation symbolizes the city's sympathy for endangered wildlife. Use spatial awareness.]
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Animals. A significant historical year for this entry is 1889.
 
Location. 37° 43.964′ N, 122° 29.936′ W. Marker is in San Francisco, California, in San Francisco City and County. It is in San Francisco Zoo. It can be reached from the intersection of Sloat Boulevard and The Great Highway when traveling west. The marker is mounted to a metal stand across from the Hearst Grizzly Gulch. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: San Francisco CA 94132, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on California’s Coast Ranges. It is also on the American Pacific Coast. Globally, it is in North America, on the Ring of Fire, in the Pacific Rim, in the Western Hemisphere, in the Western World, and in the Anglosphere.
Monarch's Tale Marker & Statue image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Joseph Alvarado, June 3, 2023
3. Monarch's Tale Marker & Statue
Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain and also Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Swamp Gum (approx. 0.2 miles away); Welcome to Ocean Beach (approx. 0.3 miles away); In Honor of Dr. Vic Rowen and Joe Verducci (approx. 1.3 miles away); Broderick – Terry Duel (approx. 1.9 miles away); Broderick-Terry Duel (approx. 1.9 miles away); Granville House (approx. 2.3 miles away); Murphy Windmill (approx. 2.3 miles away); a different marker also named Murphy Windmill (approx. 2.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in San Francisco.
 
Another marker is no longer nearby. United States Senator David C. Broderick and Judge David S. Terry (was approx. 1.9 miles away but has been confirmed missing).
 
Also see . . .
1. Monarch the Grizzly Bear. California Academy of Sciences
"Joseph Grinnell, director and cofounder of the University of California’s Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, was among those who saw Monarch during those years. After the bear’s death in 1911, Grinnell acquired Monarch’s remains
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for research and documentation, later donating the mounted specimen to the Academy. Monarch was last seen on public display from 2010 to 2012..."
(Submitted on June 13, 2023, by Joseph Alvarado of Livermore, California.) 

2. Monarch the Bear. Atlas Obscura
"According to legend-made-fact, in 1889 newspaper mogul William Randolph Hearst approached his reporter, Allen Kelley with a challenge: “Do you think you could get me a California grizzly bear?”"
(Submitted on June 13, 2023, by Joseph Alvarado of Livermore, California.) 
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on August 11, 2023. It was originally submitted on June 13, 2023, by Joseph Alvarado of Livermore, California. This page has been viewed 286 times since then and 65 times this year. Photos:   1, 2, 3. submitted on June 13, 2023, by Joseph Alvarado of Livermore, California.
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Jul. 17, 2026