Metal Framework, 2018 & Skull of Brown Bear "Old Groaner," 1935

"Old Groaner" Skull and Frame
This steel sculpture was created for this exhibition by Ketchikan artist Rich Stage. The skull that it showcases is the original skull of the legendary brown bear known as "Old Groaner." The structure accurately represents the size and proportions of the living animal, who lived for years with serious injuries from previous human encounters. It also represents the position in which equally legendary Ketchikan outdoorsman Bruce Johnstone first encountered it, when the bear emerged from the bush to attack him.

The forests, mountains, and waterways of Southeast Alaska are home to many incredible stories. Some are even true. Some are more incredible because they are true.

"Old Groaner" Was Legend
For years, the old prospectors said, he had been haunting camps with his strange sounds, but he had never been seen by a human being: "Old Groaner, the moaning marauder of Cripple Creek."

Bruce Johnstone, meanwhile, had grown up in the woods of Rudyerd Bay, north of Ketchikan. At the age of 12, he inadvertently snagged a bear cub in a trap; that sound behind him was indeed its mother.

In 1935, Mr. Johnstone was on the Unuk River, staking a notice for a gold claim, when Old Groaner charged at him. Groaner was wounded, grizzled, and scarred. As Mr. Johnstone reached for his gun, his dog, Slasher, lunged at the bear, sinking his teeth into its hind foot. Mr. Johnstone then fired three times.

While duck hunting in 1958, Mr. Johnstone was attacked by three brown bears and rescued by some nearby hunters who heard the commotion. They dressed his wounds in whiskey; two years and two hip replacements later, he recovered.

Old Groaner's skull is a remarkable 11 inches wide by 17 inches long. Geologist Jim Baichtal measured the skull out at 27 4/16" on the Boone and Crockett Scale, the official scale of world record animals.


"Old Groaner" Framework by Rich Stage, 2018
Ketchikan Museums: KMD 31.1

Skull of Brown Bear "Old Groaner", 1935
Ketchikan Museums: Tongass Historical Society, THS 66.11.1.1. A&B

Ketchikan Museums & Tongass Historical Society Collection KMD 31, 66.11.1.1