Lebec: Killed by a Bear

The community of Lebec, tucked into the Tejon Pass above the Tehachapi Mountains, takes its name from a man killed by a bear. Peter Lebeck, a fur trapper, was mauled to death by a California grizzly and buried here in eighteen thirty-seven beneath a large oak. Someone, presumably a companion, carved his name into the tree along with the cause of death.

The carved oak became known as the Peter Lebeck Oak, and his grave marker was eventually moved to nearby Fort Tejon. That fort, established in eighteen fifty-four, was built to guard this mountain pass, the main route between the Central Valley and Southern California, and to control the tribes of the surrounding hills. Fort Tejon closed in eighteen sixty-four.

The pass, the grave, and the name of a French trapper mauled by a grizzly all remained.