Note: In 2011, the first appearance of a gray wolf was reported in California. Prior to then, the last gray wolf in California was trapped in Lassen County in 1924.
At first I was going to do a condensed version of the account, but the Lassen Advocate had such a compelling story that I decided to transcribe it.
Lassen Advocate, Susanville, California, June 13, 1924 1;4 “Frank Koehler Gets Large Gray Wolf, June 12 – Frank W. Koehler, United States hunter and trapper had a thrilling experience yesterday afternoon when he encountered what is now almost an extinct species of animal in the United States, especially in this part of the country.
“June 2, Koehler had been called by G.E. Seeber at Litchfield to help him out as the coyotes had killed 50 of his young turkeys. That day Koehler set out seven settings of three traps each and returning to his settings on June 7 found that he had caught a coyote but he had broken away and escaped. He set his traps in the same place and yesterday afternoon returned to see what had been happening.