MOUNTAIN CHARLEY
Charles McKiernan
see also the Patchen webste
In the Santa Cruz Mountains,
above Lexington, an old stage station, boasts of a postoffice and few
residences. It is on the old Mountain Charley road, about two
miles from the Mountain Charley ranch. In the early days grizzly bears
abounded in the Santa Cruz hills and Mountain Charley (Charles
McKiernan) was a great bear hunter. For a while he killed deer
for the San Francisco market, making over $7,000 by the work. He
kept a flock of sheep, but one night a California lion (cougar) got
among them and killed seventy. After this misfortune McKiernan
sold his sheep and became one of the noted bear and lion hunters of the
state.
Not along after he had parted with his sheep he was hunting about three
miles from his home, when he discovered a large grizzly bear lying on
her haunches with her head turned towards him. McKiernan
approached to within ten steps of the bear, dismounted from his
mule and shot the bear in the back of the head. Supposing he had
killed her, he commenced reloading his gun., After he had put
in the powder and was about to ram down the ball, the bear made a
rush at him. McKiernan grabbed the pommel on his saddle and was
about to mount when the mule jumped, jerked away from him, leaving him
sprawling on the ground, and ran home. The bear in the meantime
had returned to her nest where she had left her two cubs. But she
did not stay there long. McKiernan had just got to his feet and
was in the act of picking up his gun when the bear made for him
As there was no chance to shoot, McKiernan took to his heels.
Next day he returned to the place to find the bear dead. The cubs
were in the nest and he took them home and kept them for four
months At the end of that time their penchant for killing hogs
cost them their lives.
But Mountain Charley's great battle with a grizzly came later on the
afternoon of the eight of May , 1854. He ahd been out
hunting all day with a friend named Taylor. They had killed five
deer and were engaged in dragging two of them out of the gulch when
they saw a male bear, about 400 yards below them. While in the
act of getting around the bear- a very large one- the animal unbeknown
to them, executed a similar maneuver, and they were climbing to
the top of a little mound, the bear suddenly met them. The
surprise was mutual. The bear gave a snort and plunged at
them Taylor fired the first shot and missed, then made for a
tree. Mountain Charley, armed with a riffle, fired quickly.
THe ball struck the bear over the eye and then Charley, now at close
quarters struck the bear on the head with the rifle, breaking off
the barrel. The blow felled the bear, but he immediately arose,
and with his tremendous jaws wide open made a murderous snap at Charley
catching him over the left eye and forehead, crushing the skull and
tearing out a large section of it. The old mountaineer then threw
up his arms, in a locked position , in front of his face, when the bear
grappled at them, crusting down with his grinders upon arm and terribly
lacerating the flesh of the others. Evidently satisfied with what
he had done, the bear left his enemy and was seen no more.
Taylor, who had left his tree and taken to his heels when the bear
attacked his friend, returned some time after the battle with Shulties,
a mountain rancher who lived a short distance away. Mountain
Charley was found in an unconscious state and carried to his
home. One eye had been torn out, the nose and one side of his
face were disfigured and there was a gaping wound in the skull.
Drs. A. W. Bell and T. J. Ingersoll attended the sufferer, removed
pieces of bone from the skull and put in a silver place sufficiently
large to cover the brain. About a year afterward Mountain Charley
came to San Jose and consulted Drs. Ingersoll and Spencer in regard to
his condition. The wound in the head had not properly healed and
an operation was performed. After this time the patient wore no
plate and he lived in very good health of forty six years, dying in San
Jose in 1902. For many years prior to his death Mountain Charley
was engaged in the lumber business in San Jose. He was highly
respected and his death was a loss to the community.
In May, 1875, McKiernan, or Mountain Charley, as he was best known, was
the leading figure in another adventure. On April 1, the state
between his mountain ranch and Lexington was robbed and a moth later
the crime was repeated. Shortly after the last robbery Mountain
Charley, who had killed a steer, was in the act of packing it when he
saw two men near the road. Thinking they were neighbors, he
hailed them , but as they came towards him he realized his mistake and
also come to the conclusion that the men were the much-wanted stage
robbers. Soon after this the sheriff of Santa Cruz county
rode up and with Mountain Charley as guide went to find the two
men. They were located at an old house about six miles off.
As the house was being surrounded the two men showed fight and fired
several shots at the sheriff and his posse. During the firing
Mountain Charley entered the house and saw the men standing by the
chimney in the main room. ONe of them was raising his gun to shoot when
Charley fired twice with the intention of crippling them. One
shot passed through the arm of the man with the gun; the other grazed
the eyebrow of the other man. Then they surrendered, were taken
to San Jose, and each received a ten years' sentence.