Downieville, on Highway 49 about 40 miles northwest of Truckee, made headlines as the site of California’s first documented fatal black bear attack on a person. Patrice Miller, 71, was killed in ...

a bear broke into a woman’s home in Downieville and killed her — Miyasato said mountain lions scare her much more than bears. “A bear will leave if you make enough sound,” she said.