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Wilsonville, Oregon: Statue of Gentle Ben

Along with Yogi and Boo Boo, Gentle Ben was one of the few bears to star in his own TV series.

Address:
SW Parkview Drive, Wilsonville, OR
Directions:
Ben stands in the center of a small park in a housing subdivision, on the northwest corner of SW Parkview Drive and SW Orchard Drive.
Admission:
Free
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Gentle Ben.

Statue of Gentle Ben

The statue of Gentle Ben is in a great little quiet park in a residential area.

[Ted, 06/18/2015]

Gentle Ben statue.

Statue of Gentle Ben

In 1965, author Walt Morey, who lived in Wilsonville, wrote the young adult novel "Gentle Ben," the story of a bear and his human pal in Alaska. Walt Disney bought the rights, moved the story to Florida, and turned Gentle Ben into a late 1960s TV series. When Morey died, his family donated land for a small park in his hometown. Its centerpiece is an eight-foot-tall, carved wood statue of Gentle Ben. The 500-pound bear sculpture was stolen by some teenage morons in 2012, but Ben was found in a ditch and quickly returned to the park.

[RoadsideAmerica.com Team, 08/13/2012]

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