It's been a while since I posted. I have been having problems transferring photos from my phone, but I'm back up!
Last weekend, Linda and I visited her home town of Jim Thorpe, PA. It is a beautiful old Victorian town about an hour and a half north of Philadelphia. The town was originally called Mauch Chunk, which is a Native American name meaning Bear Mountain, and is pronounced as one word: mockchunk.
To get the name change to Jim Thorpe, you need to know a little of Jim Thorpe's story. He was born on a Native American Reservation in Oklahoma. His Native American name was Wa Tho Hunk, meaning Bright Path. In 1904, he was sent to the American Indian School in Carlisle, PA which is about 20 miles from Harrisburg. Although not a college. the American Indian School's football team played against college teams. In 1912, the football team beat Army, including Dwight Eisenhower, who would later say that Jim Thorpe "could do anything better than anybody I ever saw...."
Jim Thorpe also won gold medals for the pentathlon and decathlon in the 1912 Olympics. These medals were later stripped because it was discovered he had played semi-pro baseball. Ultimately, his medals were restored in 1982.
When he died in 1983, his third wife wanted a suitable memorial for him. She made a deal with the city council of Mauch Chunk to build a memorial to him, including placing his body in a mausoleum, and renaming the town. His family maintains that he should be returned to Oklahoma, an ongoing battle.
The memorial is very understated and tasteful. It's right off the main road, with statues of Jim Thorpe playing football and discus, and a brief biography.
Moving on from the memorial, we went to Mauch Chunk Lake Park. It was a beautiful day, about 60 degrees and sunny. This is the park.
From there, we went to Flagstaff Park, which has a dance hall where Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey, who were from the area, used to play. This is the view of Jim Thorpe from the overlook there.
On to Lehigh Gorge State Park, with these pictures. The road passes over the river, and the walking paths underneath it, as you can see from these pictures. The path continues up a steep hill to a waterfall, which I did not see.
Unfortunately, it seems to not be a good year for the fall leaves. They were falling down, not changing colors.
Last weekend, Linda and I visited her home town of Jim Thorpe, PA. It is a beautiful old Victorian town about an hour and a half north of Philadelphia. The town was originally called Mauch Chunk, which is a Native American name meaning Bear Mountain, and is pronounced as one word: mockchunk.
To get the name change to Jim Thorpe, you need to know a little of Jim Thorpe's story. He was born on a Native American Reservation in Oklahoma. His Native American name was Wa Tho Hunk, meaning Bright Path. In 1904, he was sent to the American Indian School in Carlisle, PA which is about 20 miles from Harrisburg. Although not a college. the American Indian School's football team played against college teams. In 1912, the football team beat Army, including Dwight Eisenhower, who would later say that Jim Thorpe "could do anything better than anybody I ever saw...."
Jim Thorpe also won gold medals for the pentathlon and decathlon in the 1912 Olympics. These medals were later stripped because it was discovered he had played semi-pro baseball. Ultimately, his medals were restored in 1982.
When he died in 1983, his third wife wanted a suitable memorial for him. She made a deal with the city council of Mauch Chunk to build a memorial to him, including placing his body in a mausoleum, and renaming the town. His family maintains that he should be returned to Oklahoma, an ongoing battle.
The memorial is very understated and tasteful. It's right off the main road, with statues of Jim Thorpe playing football and discus, and a brief biography.
From there, we went to Flagstaff Park, which has a dance hall where Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey, who were from the area, used to play. This is the view of Jim Thorpe from the overlook there.
On to Lehigh Gorge State Park, with these pictures. The road passes over the river, and the walking paths underneath it, as you can see from these pictures. The path continues up a steep hill to a waterfall, which I did not see.
Unfortunately, it seems to not be a good year for the fall leaves. They were falling down, not changing colors.
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