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# Famous Canadian Animals (but Not Overly Well Known) Part 2: Black Bear – White River
- URL: https://goodoil.news/famous-canadian-animals-but-not-overly-well-known-part-2-black-bear-white-river/
- Published: 2020-09-15T04:30:00.000Z
- Updated: 2020-09-20T23:36:38.000Z
- Author: Guest Post
- Tags: History, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2024-07-17 03:00

**Geoff Corfield**

*Geoffrey Corfield has been active in Conservative politics in Canada since 1976, both federally and provincially. But he won’t always write about politics because he has more experience with writing history and humour. He lives in London, Ontario, frequents used book shops, swims lengths, drinks beer, plays croquet, has his own town in north-central Queensland and six books published, and would very much like to find a publisher for [this New Zealand book](https://www.amazon.com/Geoffrey-Corfield/e/B001K8XFA8?ref%5F=dbs%5Fp%5Febk%5Fr00%5Fabau%5F000000&ref=goodoil.news) and its companion one for Australia.*

This is the true story of a soldier, a town, a bear, a zoo and a book;  
and how they all became connected.

August 1914\. The First World War is on and Captain Harry Colebourn, a  
veterinarian from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, is on a train heading  
east with The Fort Garry Horse Regiment. The train stops at White  
River in Northern Ontario; an area of rocks, trees, lakes, rivers,  
small towns, not many roads, and lots of wildlife, including Black  
bears. While the train is stopped Captain Colebourn buys a small Black  
bear cub for $20\. Not unusual. Orphan bear cubs were often found  
around White River and sold as pets. He takes the bear on the train  
with him and names her “Winnipeg”, or “Winnie’ for short.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/31/f4/31f4e20a-0315-499e-83ff-139e8eab53bf/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/harry_colebourne_and_winnie.jpg)

The BFD. Harry Colebourne and Winnie Date 1914 Source: Manitoba Provincial Archives

When Captain Colbourn’s regiment goes overseas to England, Winnie goes  
along too. She lands at Plymouth, is stationed on Salisbury Plain,  
sleeps under Captain Colebourn’s cot, follows soldiers around like a  
dog, and becomes the mascot of The Second Canadian Infantry Brigade.  
But when the brigade is posted to France in December 1914, Winnie  
cannot go along, so Captain Colebourn loans her to The London Zoo. Not  
unusual. During the war four other bear cubs would also end up at the  
zoo.

When the war is over Captain Colebourn returns to the zoo to get  
Winnie. But she has become such a popular attraction that he decides  
to leave her there. Children love Winnie. She is the only bear  
considered completely trustworthy by the zoo. Children ride on her  
back and she eats from their hands. So Captain Colebourn returns to  
Winnipeg where he retires in 1945 and dies two years later at the age  
of 60\. Which is when the connection between a soldier, a town, a bear  
and a zoo comes to an end; and the connection between a town, a bear,  
a zoo and a book begins.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/31/f4/31f4e20a-0315-499e-83ff-139e8eab53bf/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/1024px-london_zoo_-_harry_colebourn_and_winnie_the_bear.jpg)

The BFD.Harry Colebourn and Winnie the Bear by Bill Epp. Unveiled 1995\. Date 31 December 2005, Source: Flickr: london zoo Author: S Pakhrin

Alan Alexander Milne takes his son Christopher Robin to The London Zoo  
to see his favourite animal, Winnie. A.A. Milne is a writer. One day  
he writes a children’s story about a bear and a boy. The boy is named  
Christopher Robin. He changes the bear from a girl bear to a boy bear  
but keeps the name Winnie. In 1926 the story becomes a book called  
“Winnie-the-Pooh”.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/31/f4/31f4e20a-0315-499e-83ff-139e8eab53bf/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/pooh-6.jpg)

The BFD.Christopher Robin with Winnie at the London Zoo. Source:https://www.pinterest.nz

Meanwhile the town called White River has taken to calling itself “The  
Coldest Place In Canada”. In 1936 it was -50C/-72F in White River, but  
then the record is broken by lots of other places, so White River  
decides to call itself “The Birthplace of Winnie-the Pooh” instead.  
So it does. And every year on the third weekend in August they hold a  
“Winnie Hometown Festival”, which is a whole lot better than holding a  
“Coldest Place In Canada Festival” sometime in January.

The bear named Winnie lived in The London Zoo for 20 years and died in  
1934\. She was the best bear the zoo ever had. There is a statue of her  
there, and one of Captain Colebourn too; and there are also two  
plaques, one with some wrong information on it, and another presented  
to the zoo by school children from White River in 1997.

And that is the true story of how the soldier, the town, the bear, the  
zoo and the book all became connected. And all because of a soldier,  
a town and a bear from Canada.

*If you enjoyed this BFD article please share it.*