Big Wild Cat Shot Near Here
Eau Claire Weekly Telegram | Dec. 4 1902

Finest specimen ever brought to Eau Claire Weighed thirteen pounds. Captured by Edward Anderson about two miles north of the city.

Yesterday afternoon while Edward Anderson of 736 Franklin street was out hunting he ran up against a specimen of game he was not looking for in the person of a genuine wild cat. Mr. Anderson was fortunate enough to shoot the animal, which is a fine specimen of this almost extinct species, at least in the vicinity. The wild cat is the largest ever brought to Eau Claire, it weighed 13 pounds, and the hide was 14 inches wide and 27 inches long. The animal was killed about two miles north of the city, along a bank of the Chippewa.

Chad’s Take - Revenge of the Hunter!

Last year, during hunting season, I brought to you the bizarre story of a man being viciously attacked by a ferocious caged deer. But when it comes to the weird, I always strive to be fair, which is why this year I have decided to include the animal revenge story of Mr. Edward Anderson. Although it is not truly a revenge story, it does have Mr. Anderson coming out victorious over a vicious wild animal. Okay, so maybe a wild cat isn’t really a vicious wild animal in the way a bear is, but Mr. Anderson still bested it all the same.

But what did Mr. Anderson really kill? Although the newspaper called it a “wild cat,” no accompanying picture was included. The wild cat name was often given to the panther, cougar, lynx, mountain lion, puma, and bobcat. The wild cat family actually includes 36 species of animals throughout the world. The article never specifies which creature was actually taken. Weighing in at only 13 pounds, the animal would have been an extremely diminutive panther or mountain lion, yet adult bobcats only generally weigh between 16 and 30 pounds, making it a possibility that the creature was a young bobcat. Whatever it was, Mr. Anderson shot and killed it, and then dragged his trophy wild cat back to Eau Claire where he proudly showed off the fine specimen for all to see. Mr. Anderson also gained a much needed point for man, which tied up the Bizarre History of the Chippewa Valley score at animal 1 - man 1.

Keep an eye out,
Chad Lewis