Early California: pre-1769–1840s: Mexican California
Californios attempting to capture a bear. Date unknown. F.O.C. Darley and Francis Holl of D. Appleton & Co., makers. Steel engraving. Collection of Oakland Museum of California. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Ferbrache.
This image depicts a group of Californios trying to capture a bear. Bear and bull fights were a popular form of entertainment developed in Mexican California. The bear and the bull were tied together by the foreleg while spectators placed bets. Whoever survived the fight was declared the winner. Bear/bull fights were practiced in California well into the 1850s.