Grizzlies used to infest California. In the early 1800s parts of California (such as Napa Valley) were considered so dangerous because of grizzlies that gringos wouldn’t go in them.
I was searching for one of my ancestors from the mid- to late-1800s when I came across an unrelated family history about a man who went hunting with that ancestor in the mountains near what is now San Bernardino. They were attacked by a grizzly and apparently my ancestor ran down the mountain and brought back help but the victim eventually died from the attack. I don’t know at what point my ancestor left the victim so I don’t know whether he was heroic or cowardly or just faster on his feet but I do know that is the last record I can find about that ancestor. His fate is still a mystery.