The following is a press release from the Montpelier Community Foundation.

For over a decade the current statue of Old Ephraim, the infamous grizzly bear of local folklore, has stood at the northwest corner of the King’s parking lot in Montpelier, Idaho. Recently the bear trekked a bit east with the help of city crews and is now located on city property in front of the Chamber of Commerce office building on Washington Street.

With a future development proposed to be coming in its old location, the bear had to be moved from the private property together with its related interpretive monument. New to the display is a Legends & Lore sign standing next to the bear telling a quick story of “Old Three Toes”, another name that described the bear. Thanks to assistance from Steven Hatcher of the Idaho Commission on the Arts and grant writer Shannon Marx of the Montpelier Community Foundation, the interpretive historical sign was made possible with a grant from the William C. Pomeroy Foundation in 2023. The Pomeroy Foundation is dedicated to assist communities in celebrating their local history and folklore.

The Montpelier Community Foundation still needed a specific sign post to put up the sign. Finding the right size and diameter took several months and was looking to be more expensive than anticipated. To assist in the cause, Heritage Park contractor MJM Construction of Garden City, Utah, reported that they had the exact post needed in their inventory and donated it to the Old Ephraim project. Their generosity is being recognized with an engraved paver in Heritage Park.

While not far from its original location, the Old Ephraim statue and interpretive marker and sign continues to tell the story of how this huge marauding grizzly that killed many sheep and cattle ultimately came to its demise 101 years ago. The story lives on in Bear Lake valley folklore.