Holt Collier led the hunting expedition when Theodore Roosevelt visited Mississippi in 1902. The story goes that the president was desirous of a black bear to add to his trophy collection and was in a hurry to do so. Roosevelt was stationed in a blind, and Holt led chase to the elusive black bear with a pack of forty dogs. The impatient president left the stand to have lunch. With the success of the hunt resting on his shoulders, Holt took the initiative, captured the bear with a lariat, and tied it to a willow tree by the Little Sunflower River in an effort to save his dogs from the bear and fulfill the president’s wishes. Moments later Roosevelt arrived on horseback and surveyed the scene. He declined to shoot a bear tied to a tree but was impressed by the bravery and abilities of Mr. Collier. The Washington Post editorial cartoonist Clifford Kennedy Berryman ran two drawings on the front page of the paper of a cute little cub that in no way resembled the ferocious bear captured single-handedly by Collier. The story became a national sensation and an enterprising Morris Michtom sewed up a small stuffed bear cub and nicknamed it the Teddy Bear, selling them for a buck and a half each. By the next year Mr. Michtom had founded the Ideal Toy Company and was selling thousands of Teddies a year. Today you can visit the first national refuge named for an African American, the 2,033-acre Holt Collier National Wildlife Refuge near Onward, Mississippi. Each fall when the pears are ripe, the honey is in, and the Great Delta Bear Affair festival rolls around I think of that November hunt and that amazing American, Holt Collier.

　　

Ingredients

serves 4

　　Nonstick cooking spray or unsalted butter

　　4 ripe pears, peeled, cored, and sliced

　　2 tablespoons honey

　　Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon

　　1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary

　　1/2 cup diced country ham

　　1/4 pound baby spinach

　　

Step 1

Heat the oven to 375°F. Grease a small baking dish with nonstick spray.

　　

Step 2

Put the pears into the prepared baking dish and add the honey, lemon zest and juice, and rosemary. Toss to combine. Bake for 10 minutes or until the honey begins to bubble. Set aside to cool.

　　

Step 3

In a large bowl, combine the ham and spinach. Add the pears and pan juices and toss to combine.

　　Cooks' Note

　　To learn more about the life of Holt Collier, check out Minor Ferris Buchannan’s biography Holt Collier: His Life, His Roosevelt Hunts, and the Origin of the Teddy Bear.

　　A Southerly Course