Looking back: Man shoots black bear that falls dead 50 feet in front of him; teen jumps from moving car

IDAHO FALLS — EastIdahoNews.com is looking back at what life was like during the week of Sept. 1 to Sept. 7 in east Idaho history.

1900-1925

ISLAND PARK — A local man killed a black bear that he shot dead about 50 feet in front of him, The Rigby Star reported on Sept. 1, 1921.

P.G. Sessions had been tending his sheep in Island Park during the summer of 1921. He discovered a black bear close to his sheep about six miles south of the Island Park station.

Sessions took a shot at the animal with a .45 automatic, and the bullet hit the bear in the side. At this point, the bear turned towards Sessions. He fired two more times at the bear and killed the animal, which weighed between 500 to 600 pounds.

“Mr. Session intends to bring the hide of the big bear down as evidence of his experience,”