Trish Long|El Paso Times
Smokey Bear was the living symbol of fire prevention for more than 25 years. The American black bear was orphaned during the May 1950 Capitan Gap Fire in Capitan, N.M.The months-old cub was foundand rescuedby Forest Service workers.
The Capitan Gap Fire started May 4, 1950, likely from a carelessly tossed cigarette, and burned for a week. Authorities said 14,000 acres of mostly federal land burned in the fire.
Hotfoot Teddy is going to be all right
The original reporting of the bear cub’s story referred to him as Hot Foot Teddy as in thisMay 12, 1950, article from the Associated Press in Santa Fe:
“‘Hotfoot Teddy,” the almost well-browned brown bear cub, is going to be all right.
“HFT, about a month old, was flown here Wednesday in a private plane after Forest Service men found him on a rock slide, all four of his tiny feet badly burned in a forest fire on Capitan Mountain.
“Dr. Edwin J. Smith, Santa Fe veterinarian who carefully bandaged HFT’s blistering paws, said the cub will be hospitalized until his seared footpads heal, then turned back to the Forest Service. Eventually, Hotfoot Teddy is expected to be released in some wilderness area.”
On June 8, 1950, The Alamogordo News updated the cub's progress:
Cub burned in fire still has sore feet
“The tiny black bear, rescued from the seared area of the recent Capitan forest fire, is recovering under the watchful eye of Dr. E.J. Smith, Santa Fe veterinarian, and the care of its new foster parent, Ray Bell, chief of the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish field force.
“ ‘Smokey’ or ‘Hotfoot Teddy,’as he is sometimes called, had all four feet badly burned in the fire which, because of a carelessly thrown cigarette, destroyed approximately 15 million board feet of timber and untold wildlife.
“No one has been able to determine just what happened to the mother of the tiny bear cub, but it is probably that she either died in the fire or was unable to find her way back to the cub over the scorched earth.
Tiny bear plays in cardboard box
“The cub, three or four months old and weighing about five pounds, has been making a steady recovery on a diet of pablum and honey mixed with milk. One of Smokey’s feet was burned more than the other three and it will be sometime before the cub will be able to walk in comfort.
“Meanwhile, he is making the best of civilization and has been seen by visitors who visit the Department of Game and Fish each day. The Department has received many letters and telegrams from all over the country inquiring about the cub and at the present time it is planned to give him to a zoo when he is completely recovered.
“The tiny injured bear, playing in a cardboard box in the Department of Game and Fish office in Santa Fe, speaks more eloquently than any poster the need to ‘Prevent Forest Fires.’ ”
By June 14,the El Paso Times had this mention in its “New Mexico Notes”:
“Now Smokey has been offered to U.S. chief Forester Lyle Watts in Washington as a publicity aid in forest fire prevention and game conservation.”
By July 4,Smokey had been sent to the National Zoological Gardens in Washington, D.C., where he lived for 26 years.
The report of Smokey Bear’s death ran Wednesday, Nov.10, 1976:
Smokey buried near Capitan fire site
“Smokey Bear returned today to the New Mexico mountain from which he was rescued 26 years ago as a forest fire raged nearby.
“Smokey, who became America’s living symbol of fire prevention after he was found clinging with burned paws to a charred tree, died of natural causes Tuesday (Nov. 9) at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C.
“He was 26, the equivalent of 70 in humans.
“Smokey’s remains were flown from Washington to Albuquerque Tuesday night, then taken to SmokeyBear Historical State Park.
“The park, still under construction, faces Capitan Mountain, the scene of the disastrous Capitan Gap Fire in 1950 that nearly claimed Smokey’s life.
“A spokesman for the state Park and Recreation department said a formal ceremony is scheduled Nov. 17 in Capitan. Some of those expected to attend the Nov. 17 ceremony include Ray Bell of Truth or Consequences, who took Smokey home to Santa Fe after he was found and helped find a veterinarian to nurse the bear back to health, and Homer Pickens of Albuquerque, who was with the crew that found Smokey.
“Smokey was the symbol of fire prevention for more than 25 years.”
Smokey has his own ZIP code
The Alamogordo Daily News ran these details from Smokey’s funeral on Nov.18:
“Capitan Mayor Jay Johnson unveiled a bronze plaque recounting the many highlights of Smokey’s illustrious life as the national symbol of forest fire prevention.
“Smokey was retired in 1975 after 25 years of service as the Forest Service symbol. He had appeared on posters, stamps and television commercials with the now-familiar warning: ‘Only you can prevent forest fires.’
“During his tenure in the nation’s capital, the bear became so popular he was assigned a special ZIPcode to handle his mail.
“He was replaced by a young bear who was found orphaned in Lincoln National Forest of southern New Mexico.”
Trish Long is the El Paso Times' librarian and spends her time in the morgue, where the newspaper keeps its old clippings and photos. She may be reached at 546-6179 or tlong@elpasotimes.com.
