Nestled in the foothills of the Pocono Mountains lies a charming borough once nicknamed “the Switzerland of America.” But locals call it something else now: Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania.
You couldn’t miss the name if you tried. There’s a Jim Thorpe Neighborhood Bank, a Jim Thorpe Market, a Jim Thorpe Trolley, and the Jim Thorpe Area High School, whose sports teams are called the Olympians.
The town of Jim Thorpe, Pa. CBS News
Mayor Michael Sofranko is a lifelong Thorper: “In 1970, when we’d go somewhere and they’d say, ‘Where you from?’ And I’d say, ‘Jim Thorpe, ‘ they’d say, ‘I don’t want your name. I want to know where you live!’ And now, what it has taken on is, when I go somewhere and they’d say, ‘Where are you from?,’ and I say, ‘Jim Thorpe,’ they say, ‘Oh my God, I love that town!'”
And in case you’re wondering, yes, the town is named after Jim Thorpe, the man who became famous worldwide after the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden, where he won gold medals in track and field events. “Being crowned the ‘Greatest Athlete of the World’ by the King of Sweden, I think, is one of my great moments in my life,” Thorpe once said.
Simon & Schuster
“To call Jim Thorpe the greatest athlete in American history is not a stretch, because no athlete before or since has done what he did,” said writer David Maraniss. He would know; his biography of Thorpe, “Path Lit By Lightning” (published by CBS’ sister company Simon & Schuster, a division of Paramount Global) tells Thorpe’s remarkable story. “No one has had that sort of triad of being the first great NFL football player, a winner of the gold medal in the decathlon and the pentathlon, and a major league baseball player,” Maraniss said. “And he was great at ballroom dancing. He was a good skater, a great swimmer. Lacrosse, definitely. People said he was good at marbles!”
The athlete also became an actor, in such films as “Battling with Buffalo Bill” and “Wagon Master.” And thanks in part to his own activism, Native American characters were increasingly played by Native Americans (himself included).
Prague, Oklahoma was originally Indian territory when Thorpe was born there in 1887, brought up on the Sac and Fox Reservation. His birthname, Wa-Tho-Huk, translates to “Bright Path.”
Jim had passed by the time Anita Thorpe came along, but she’s spent her life learning her grandfather’s story. “People would come up to us and say, ‘Are you related?’ I still get that to this day,” she said. “As a grandchild, I just feel like it’s my honor to carry his name and to continue his story any way that I possibly can.”
Rocca asked, “If your last name is Thorpe, do you have to be good at sports?”
“You do not,” she replied. “None of his descendants could ever fill his shoes.”
And back in Jim Thorpe the town, where tourism is thriving, the story of Jim Thorpe the man, gets a little complicated. For one thing, Thorpe himself never set foot in the town while he was alive.
After he died in 1953, most of his family wanted him buried in Oklahoma. But his widow had other ideas, and she struck a deal: she gave her late husband’s body to a down-on-its-luck region of the Poconos, and the resort town of Jim Thorpe, Pa., was born.
The final resting place of superstar athlete Jim Thorpe, in a Pennsylvania town that now bears his name. CBS News
How did that happen? For the full story on America’s greatest athlete and how he ended up buried in a town he never lived in, listen to Mo Rocca’s podcast “Mobituaries.”
For more info:
Story produced by Young Kim. Editor: Chad Cardin.
See also:
“Mobituaries”: The final resting place of sports superstar Jim Thorpe
- Advertisment - 
Recent Comments
on 2024 Super Bowl: CBS Sports Network and CBS Sports HQ to combine for 115 hours of weeklong coverage
on Despite strong Lunar New Year holiday data, consumer spending in China isn’t roaring back just yet
on 2023 NFL All-Rookie Team: CBS Sports draft expert, former GM unveil league’s best first-year players
on Devout athletes find strength in their faith. But practicing it and elite sports can pose hurdles
on The Rev. Al Sharpton to lead protest after Florida governor’s ban of African American studies course
on After UFC Fallout, Conor McGregor Offers a Valuable Piece of Advice to Free Agent Francis Ngannou
on CONCEPT ART: New Details Revealed for Disney Cruise Line Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point Destination
on Saipan, placid island setting for Assange’s last battle, is briefly mobbed – and bemused by the fuss
on CONCEPT ART: New Details Revealed for Disney Cruise Line Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point Destination
on David and Victoria Beckham so ‘Charmed’ by Tom Cruise They Have His Photos on Display at Their Home
on Iowa State starting RB Jirehl Brock among latest college football players charged in gambling probe
on Biden to tout bill’s prescription drug prices, energy provisions in pitch to Americans, aide says
on Iowa State starting RB Jirehl Brock among latest college football players charged in gambling probe
on The Rev. Al Sharpton to lead protest after Florida governor’s ban of African American studies course
on Sports World Hails ‘Superwoman’ Lindsey Vonn for Her Grand Comeback Despite Career-Changing Injury
on San Mateo County Community College District sues five companies over role in ‘pay to play’ scandal
on Saipan, placid island setting for Assange’s last battle, is briefly mobbed – and bemused by the fuss
on ‘Pokémon Scarlet’ and ‘Violet’ Fan Theories Suggest Legendary Time Travel, Alternate Dimension Plot
on Joe Manchin and Tommy Tuberville introduce bill on name, image and likeness rules for college sports
on Inside the Michael Jordan ‘Air’ movie, plus why NFL, others are buying into the sports film industry
on If you’re a frequent traveler, these wrap tops from Aday will revolutionize your on-the-go wardrobe
on How Does Jack Nicklaus Travel? Exploring the Private Jets Owned by the ‘Golden Bear’ Over the Years
on Hollywood Reporter: Tom Cruise negotiated with movie studios over AI before the actors strike began
on Ford Blue Cruise: US regulators investigate fatal crashes involving hands-free driving technology
on Dozens of boats cruise the Seine in a rehearsal for the Paris Olympics’ opening ceremony on July 26
on Devout athletes find strength in their faith. But practicing it and elite sports can pose hurdles
on Despite strong Lunar New Year holiday data, consumer spending in China isn’t roaring back just yet
on David and Victoria Beckham so ‘Charmed’ by Tom Cruise They Have His Photos on Display at Their Home
on CONCEPT ART: New Details Revealed for Disney Cruise Line Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point Destination
on CBS Sports announces Matt Ryan will join NFL studio show. Longtime analysts Simms and Esiason depart
on Boston College vs. Army live stream, how to watch online, CBS Sports Network channel finder, odds
on Boise State vs. Air Force live stream, odds, channel, prediction, how to watch on CBS Sports Network
on Biden to tout bill’s prescription drug prices, energy provisions in pitch to Americans, aide says
on After UFC Fallout, Conor McGregor Offers a Valuable Piece of Advice to Free Agent Francis Ngannou
on 2024 Super Bowl: CBS Sports Network and CBS Sports HQ to combine for 115 hours of weeklong coverage
on ‘Best Intention’: Chris Kirk Has Absolute Trust in Jay Monahan and PGA Tour’s Widely Debated Model
on 2023 NFL All-Rookie Team: CBS Sports draft expert, former GM unveil league’s best first-year players
on “Completely Knocked Me Out”: Rob Lowe Recalls Boxing Match With Tom Cruise On 1983 Brat Pack Classic
on CONCEPT ART: New Details Revealed for Disney Cruise Line Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point Destination
on “Completely Knocked Me Out”: Rob Lowe Recalls Boxing Match With Tom Cruise On 1983 Brat Pack Classic
on CBS Sports announces Matt Ryan will join NFL studio show. Longtime analysts Simms and Esiason depart
on Carlos Sainz’s Soccer Fanboy Emerges as Spaniard Shares Defining Moment With This Real Madrid Legend
on Biden: ‘At this point I’m not’ planning to visit East Palestine, Ohio, after toxic train derailment
on ‘Best Intention’: Chris Kirk Has Absolute Trust in Jay Monahan and PGA Tour’s Widely Debated Model
on Ahead of big sports weekend, dispute with Disney leaves millions of cable subscribers in the dark
on A heavy wave of Russian missile attacks pounds areas across Ukraine, killing at least 4 civilians
on 2024 Super Bowl: CBS Sports Network and CBS Sports HQ to combine for 115 hours of weeklong coverage
on 2023 NFL All-Rookie Team: CBS Sports draft expert, former GM unveil league’s best first-year players
on Army vs. Coastal Carolina live stream, how to watch online, CBS Sports Network channel finder, odds
on AL Rookie of the Year Julio Rodriguez Spreads Joy and Sportsmanship to the Youth of Loma de Cabrera
on After UFC Fallout, Conor McGregor Offers a Valuable Piece of Advice to Free Agent Francis Ngannou
on Dubai International Airport sees 41.6 million passengers in first half of year, more than in 2019
on Devout athletes find strength in their faith. But practicing it and elite sports can pose hurdles
on Despite strong Lunar New Year holiday data, consumer spending in China isn’t roaring back just yet
on Dave Portnoy: Taylor Swift’s security should ‘drag Kim Kardashian to jail’ if she attends Eras Tour
on CONCEPT ART: New Details Revealed for Disney Cruise Line Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point Destination
on “Completely Knocked Me Out”: Rob Lowe Recalls Boxing Match With Tom Cruise On 1983 Brat Pack Classic
on CBS Sports, Serie A announce new TV rights deal; Paramount+ to air over 400 Italian soccer matches
on Cam Newton’s Violent Public Incident Draws Hilarious Reaction From 3x All-Star: “Where Do I Sign Up
on Boston College vs. Army live stream, how to watch online, CBS Sports Network channel finder, odds
on Angel Reese Launches Foundation Dedicated To Empowering Women Through Sports & Financial Literacy
on A weaker dollar, skyrocketing prices and ‘record’ visitor numbers: Good luck in Europe this summer