Do You Know Where Winnie the Pooh Came From?

James Osborne recently posted on the origin of Winnie-the-Pooh. This story is so charming I am re-blogging it here so more people can enjoy it.

Winnie-the-Pooh: The Forgotten Connection

Special thanks to CBC Radio for an interview that resurrected this little known story about the origins of Winnie-the-Pooh. Here’s a summary.

Winnie-the-Pooh was born in Canada! Well, sort of.

It all began in 1914. The First World War was underway in Europe. The Canadian Army was in desperate need of trained personnel to care for the thousands of horses used by the cavalry.

A young veterinarian in Winnipeg heeded the call.

Harry Colebourn soon found himself on a train with scores of other young men destined for the army base in Val Cartier, Quebec. A few hours into their journey the train stopped in White River, Ont., to take on water and coal for the steam engine. Like many other soldiers, Harry stepped off the train to stretch his legs.

Standing beside the tracks was a man who turned out to be a trapper. He was holding a tiny black bear cub, only a few days old. He had trapped and killed its mother. Harry loved animals of every kind. He offered the trapper $20 for the cub. That was a handsome amount in 1914. They made a deal.

Read the rest at:

Winnie-the-Pooh: The Forgotten Connection