Bear Pit

Bear Pit Trail

The pit is real and is similar to that found in the city of Bern in Switzerland. The story is that Bern was originally founded by a German Duke in 1191. When it came to finding a name for it, however, he was at somewhat of a loss. According to the legends of the city, he decided then to leave it to chance. He organized a hunting party and decreed that the first animal they killed would lend its name to this new city he had founded. That animal was a bear (Bern). Since the 16th century, the city has had a bear pit (or Bärengraben). The pits here in Melrose were used for sawing logs and this is where the term ‘underdog’ comes from – that was the guy at the bottom of the 2-person cross cut saw eating sawdust… Not sure what any of this has to do with bears.