JACKSON, Wyo. (KIFI)– The Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival kicked off Wednesday Sept. 9 with the unveiling of a sculpture honoring one of the region’s most famous grizzly bears.
Hundreds of people flooded the National Museum of Wildlife Art to see the museum’s newest installation, “Against All Odds,” featuring Grizzly 399, after two years in the making.
“We’re thrilled. The biggest part as we started the project without funding she was not commissioned. And so we had to reach out to donors and money came in and trickled in at first, and we could make each milestone as it happened, but we still didn’t know if we could pay for her and even continue to send donations. And so it’s been a labor of love,” Lead Sculptor Jocelyn Russell, said.
Grizzly 399, famously known as the “Queen of the Tetons,” became an icon of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem during her long life. She was known for raising large litters of cubs and for frequently bringing them near roads in Grand Teton National Park, where she became a favorite among wildlife watchers and photographers.
Grizzly 399 was killed in 2024 after she was struck by a vehicle in the area of U.S. Highway 26 in Wyoming.
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The new sculpture serves as a memorial to the famous bear while also highlighting the importance of wildlife conservation.
Russell says Grizzly 399 was an extraordinary mother and praised her ability to safely navigate the rugged landscape while raising her cubs.
“She was an amazing mother,” Russell said, “The range, how she navigated through the canyons and got her job safely that far, is just phenomenal.”
The sculpture now stands at the National Museum of Wildlife Art as a tribute to Grizzly 399 and her lasting impact on the Jackson Hole community and the people who followed her story.
