116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Piece of History: Beaver attacks man in Cedar Rapids in 1950
Melvin Staton was walking along an alley in Cedar Rapids on the evening of Monday, Nov. 27, 1950, when he was attacked by a large beaver.
Staton said the beaver attacked him in the alley between First and Second streets NE. He yelled for help, which brought two police officers — Ray Murdock and Don Spicher — to his aid.
In trying to escape, Staton kicked the 35-pound beaver to death.
The Nov. 28 Gazette stated local residents had reported seeing a large beaver around the F Avenue dam in the past year. It also reported someone had seen the animal crossing the F Avenue Bridge not long before Staton was attacked.
Tara Templeman is curator at The History Center. Comments: curator@historycenter.org
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