In Oxford County in the 1800s, what was at first a political insult became a point of pride as the image of a bear emerged as a symbol for a hearty and resilient people.
Larry Glatz, a historian who has written extensively about the early history of western Maine, researched the use of the “Oxford bear” in the 19th century — a political symbol first, but later a geographical one.
The term took some time to evolve, and the groundwork for it was laid beginning
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