Eleanor Maguren never had a teddy bear as a child. Born in 1918 on a farm near Leonard, North Dakota, she became a teacher after college. Around 1945, she bought her first teddy bear in Fargo, adding a few more over the years without much thought.
Eleanor taught elementary school and music. In 1947, she became the first teacher of the Brown quadruplets, the first surviving set of quadruplets born in North Dakota. After marrying Mac Maguren in 1951, she taught in North Dakota and Minnesota before moving to Oregon in 1956, where she continued her career.
Her passion for teddy bears began in 1976 after seeing a display at Oregon State University. By 1978, she had 50 bears. Running out of space, she displayed them at a local museum in Monmouth, Oregon, then bought a travel trailer to house her growing collection. In 1980, she purchased a small house and opened the Bear Den Museum. Every Friday, visitors could enjoy her collection of over 1,500 bears, free of charge. By 1984, she had spent more than $5,000, nearly $16,000 in today’s dollars, on bears, and the museum drew about 2,000 visitors each year.
Eleanor also shared her bears with the community, donating to children in hospitals and traveling to schools, libraries, and clubs with a selection of bears. Her collection ranged from a bear less than an inch tall to “Tiny Tony,” a seven-foot giant. She had bears from Peru, Israel, the Philippines, China, Sweden, and Germany. Her most expensive was a limited-edition Steiff teddy bear, purchased for $150 in 1980.
Concerned about the future of her collection, Eleanor arranged for its preservation. On this date in 1985, The Fargo Forum announced the delivery of more than 1,000 of her bears to Bonanzaville, USA, a history museum and village in West Fargo that had just added a 1,900-square-foot wing. The teddy bear exhibit opened in February 1986. Eleanor kept a few favorites, including her $150 Steiff bear.
She passed away in 2003 at age 85, her headstone engraved with a teddy bear.
Dakota Datebook by Trista Raezer-Stursa
Sources:
- Author Unknown. “Bonanzaville Holds its Grand Opening,” West Fargo Pioneer, May 28, 1986, pg. 8.
- Author Unknown. “Eleanor Maguren,” Statesman Journal, November 8, 2003, pg. 4C.
- Author Unknown. “Teddy Bears Now open to Viewers,” West Fargo Pioneer, February 19, 1986, pg. 2.
- Lind, Bob. “Bonanzaville is Bearied,” The Fargo Forum, October 27, 1985, pg. B1.
- Wells, Gail. “Bear’s Den-izens Leaving Home; Museum to Close,” Statesman Journal, July 25, 1985, pg. B1.
- Whitaker, Connie. “‘Bear Lady,’ Shares her Love for Furry Friends,” Albany Democrat Herald, February 9, 1984, pg. 3.
