[Mick]

When was the last man killed by a grizzly bear in California, what was his name, and what was his connection to Stanford?

I thought this was fun trivia. If you've been to the Pacific Ocean coast where Santa Cruz County meets San Mateo County, you've seen Waddell Creek. William W. Waddell (not William B. Waddell, founder of the Pony Express) had made a fortune in Missouri, lost it, and in 1861 moved to what is now Big Basin State Redwood Park where he commenced building a logging operation, along with chutes and two piers. In 1875, he was the last Californian mauled by a grizzly bear. He survived long enough to make it to a doctor, but succumbed to his injuries. 
William Waddell's Arm

The logging business fell apart, and farmers took over the Waddell Watershed. In 1912, Thomas Hoover, the Dean of Stanford's Engineering school and brother to Herbert Hoover, purchased property from a dozen of those farmers and built several houses for his family. The Hoover family kept the housing until donating everything to the oldest state park in California -- the Big Basin Redwood State Park and the Sempervirens Fund in 1977, which is adjacent to the Thomas J. Hoover Natural Preserve.
History of Waddell Valley
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Basin_...State_Park

On idyllic days, my buddies and I would get an inflatable raft, pack up some refreshments and paddle up the creek as far as we could go. Great times.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waddell_Cr...alifornia)

[Mick]

When was the last man killed by a grizzly bear in California, what was his name, and what was his connection to Stanford?

I thought this was fun trivia. If you've been to the Pacific Ocean coast where Santa Cruz County meets San Mateo County, you've seen Waddell Creek. William W. Waddell (not William B. Waddell, founder of the Pony Express) had made a fortune in Missouri, lost it, and in 1861 moved to what is now Big Basin State Redwood Park where he commenced building a logging operation, along with chutes and two piers. In 1875, he was the last Californian mauled by a grizzly bear. He survived long enough to make it to a doctor, but succumbed to his injuries. 
William Waddell's Arm

The logging business fell apart, and farmers took over the Waddell Watershed. In 1912, Thomas Hoover, the Dean of Stanford's Engineering school and brother to Herbert Hoover, purchased property from a dozen of those farmers and built several houses for his family. The Hoover family kept the housing until donating everything to the oldest state park in California -- the Big Basin Redwood State Park and the Sempervirens Fund in 1977, which is adjacent to the Thomas J. Hoover Natural Preserve.
History of Waddell Valley
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Basin_...State_Park

On idyllic days, my buddies and I would get an inflatable raft, pack up some refreshments and paddle up the creek as far as we could go. Great times.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waddell_Cr...alifornia)