• We have updated the guidelines regarding posting political content: please see the stickied thread on Website Issues.

TangletwigsDeux

Abominable Snowman
Joined
May 6, 2009
Messages
894
Just saw this on reddit , thought it was interesting and the picture does most of the heavy lifting!

sarachbear.jpg
 
Here's the New England Historical Society's summary of the incident:
New Hampshire’s Sarah Whitcher Meets a Bear in 1783

One day in June of 1783, four-year-old Sarah Whitcher of Warren, N.H., begged her parents to let her go along with them when they visited her uncle at the top of the tall hill behind their house.

What followed was a remarkable story that lived on for centuries as both a charming historical tale and a favorite bit of New Hampshire folklore. ...

Finally an expert woodsman from Plymouth, N.H., arrived in Warren four days after Sarah’s disappearance. He set out to aid in the search. Hours later, the town rejoiced as the townspeople heard three shots from a gun – the agreed-upon signal that Sarah had been found safe.

The stranger from Plymouth returned to Warren with the little girl in his arms, and she told a remarkable story. She had wandered away to gather flowers, and while walking, her feet had been cut and were bleeding.

She was startled to find that a bear had emerged from the woods and was puzzled by her. The bear gave Sarah a lick and lay down, affording her a warm place to snuggle up and sleep. The bear watched over the little girl, disappearing into the woods only as her rescuers arrived. ...

The story of Sarah Whitcher became part of Warren, N.H., lore for generations. Over time, it was imbued with religious overtones and made more miraculous in its depiction. The man from Plymouth had been following a vision, in one retelling. In others, the prayers of the town brought the little girl back.

William Little documented the story through eyewitness accounts in his History of Warren, A Mountain Hamlet Located Among the White Hills of New Hampshire. He became convinced of its essential facts because so many people knew of it.
https://www.newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/new-hampshires-sarah-whitcher-meets-bear-1783-2/
 
Nowadays this bear would get reported on the internet as a Bigfoot that protected the girl.
 
Back
Top