[6][7] Nonetheless, after careful study, naturalist George Ord formally classified it in 1815 – not for its hair, but for its character – as Ursus horribilis ("terrifying bear").

The grizzly became a symbol of the Bear Flag Republic, a moniker that was attached to the short-lived attempt by a group of U.S. settlers to break away from Mexico in 1846.

The difficulty stems directly from the work of Merriam (1918), who concluded that there are 86 forms of grizzlies (and brown bears) in North America.

Father Pedro Font, an early missionary, described the local grizzly bears, writing, "He was horrible, fierce, large, and fat.

As the settled frontier of New Spain was extended northward, settlers began to populate California and establish large cattle herds as the main industry.

[10] In 1866, a grizzly bear described as weighing as much as 2,200 pounds (1,000 kg) was killed in what is present-day Valley Center, California, in the north-central area of San Diego County.

The incident was recalled in 1932 by Catherine E. Lovett Smith, who witnessed the bear's killing on her family's ranch when she was just six years old.

One persistently popular, but false[32] phrase origin story related to these fights stems from famous 19th-century newspaperman Horace Greeley.

The Monterey County Herald noted on July 4, 1874: Last Monday, Captain A. Smith, who resides about ten miles from town, in the Carmel Valley, succeeded in poisoning a large grizzly bear.

[15]In the early to mid 19th century, livestock from the ranchos of California provided an abundant food source for the bears, allowing the grizzly population to expand rapidly.

[37] Noted California mountain man Seth Kinman claimed to have shot over 800 grizzly bears in a 20 year period in the areas surrounding present day Humboldt County.

[38] In 1920, the Shuteye Peak area of Madera County was home to one of the last California grizzlies, nicknamed 'Two Toes,' who lost part of his front foot in a trap and evaded hunters for years.

[43] Despite having one of the largest American black bear populations in the nation, California still has habitat that can sustain about 500 grizzlies; it is thought that the presence of an additional large mammal could curb overpopulation of the smaller black bear, which often is involved in human-bear conflicts, as it enters human settlements in pursuit of food and trash.

Fish and Wildlife Service received, and subsequently rejected, a petition to reintroduce grizzly bears to California.

Arguments against grizzly bear reintroduction emphasize the potential for rare but significant harm, such as attacks causing injuries or fatalities.

Those who deem any harm, especially loss of human life, as morally unacceptable view the reintroduction in California as an intolerable threat, regardless of individual risk.

The name "Yosemite" likely originates from the indigenous Ahwahneechee word for grizzly bear, "Oo-soo-mah-ty" or "Yo-hem-ah-ty," which directly refers to the animal.

[54] He chose the name to evoke the formidable presence, massive stature, and rugged independence of the California grizzly bear.