Montana’s Most Brutal Grizzly Attack And How It Changed Everything

Montana is filled with history, some good, some bad.

Part of that history is what happened back in August of 1967 in Glacier National Park. The event, which would span multiple days, would turn into not only a book, but a PBS special as well and would forever change the way bears were handled in National Parks across the United States.

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It started on August 12 and went through the 13th, in the end there would be two dead bodies and one survivor who was severely mauled.

Now days, when folks go out to camp and explore most Montanans know they need to secure their food while always being area of their surroundings. However, back in 1967, things were a little more laxed and because of that, two 19 year old women lost their lives to grizzly bear attacks.

Both Michelle Koons and Julie Helgeson lost their lives after being attacked by two different grizzly bears.

After an investigation of the events, it was determined that the grizzlies were conditioned to human food and where not random. The bears had been eating both human food and garbage, which led to more aggression and ultimately led to the attack. The attacks took place at Trout Lake and Granite Park Chalet on the nights of August 12th and 13th in 1967.

How many grizzlies are in Montana?

Montana is no stranger to grizzly bears or attacks. With an estimated population of up to 2000 grizzlies in the state, there is always a chance of running into one when spending time in the Montana outdoors. However, to have two attacks by two different bears on back to back nights, well, that is something people are still talking about six decades later.

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If you would like to learn more about the events that took place all those years ago, the book Night of the Grizzlies written by Jack Olsen is available.