The Bears of Blue River Statue in Shelbyville, Indiana

About From the beloved Indiana classic The Bears of Blue River , our hero Balser Brent defeats the one-eared bear, hunts wolves, rescues his sweetheart from Indians, kills the fire bear, and befriends two bear cubs he names Tom and Jerry. A statue in Shelbyville, Indiana commemorates Balser and his many amazing exploits. The plaque notes the statue was commissioned in 1929 and restored in 2017. The Bears of Blue River was written by Charles Major, a Shelbyville resident, and published in 1901.

Major wrote many other books, including When Knighthood Was in Flower , but in Shelbyville he is best remembered for the statue of Balser holding Tom and Jerry aloft after one of their many mischievous adventures. Bears is available to read online as a Project Gutenberg eBook. Little Balser, a boy of about fourteen years old, lived with his father (also named Balser), his mother, younger brother Jim, and baby sister in a two-room cabin on 80 acres of land.

The stories are set in the 1820s, when Indiana had only recently become a state (1816). Pioneer life was tough and demanding, and Balser had to grow up quickly to help his family survive. By a very young age, he could already shoot a gun. Before facing down his first bear, he had killed several deer and even a wildcat.

He longed for a gun of his own and hoped to receive one long before his father had gotten his at the age of twenty-one. One day, while Balser was fishing and about to head home, a man and woman on horseback asked if it was safe to ford the river. Balser told them, “It will swim your horses.” The couple quickly crossed and, clearly tired and distressed, confided that they were running away to be married.

Balser took them to his home so they could rest and hide. After he fetched the preacher and the marriage was performed, the couple asked how they might reward him. Balser hesitated, but finally blurted out: “A gun! A smooth-bore carbine.

I’d rather have it than anything else in the world.” And two weeks later, the couple returned with Balser’s carbine, powder, and lead. Major tells Balser’s adventures so much better than can be shared here—you should read them for yourself. Also in the Shelbyville plaza is a fountain dedicated to Julius Joseph, a local businessman who owned a clothing and furniture store. The fountain captures the spirit of youthful play.

Discover your next amazing Atlas Place. Get more unusual and extraordinary places each week with the Atlas Obscura Places newsletter. Your newsletter subscriptions with us are subject to Atlas Obscura's Privacy Policy and Terms of Use . Related Tags Know Before You Go I believe the illustration are all public domain as is the text from the Gutenberg project.

Published December 17, 2025