Hello everyone! I hope you’re all doing well. 
Today I’d like to tell you about Jim Thorpe 
. The name might not be familiar to many, but this weekend I learned more about him during a family trip to a small town in Pennsylvania which is, of course, named Jim Thorpe. I plan to write a post in a few days to tell you more about the town itself, which is known as the “Switzerland of America.” 
Jim Thorpe, a member of the Sac and Fox Nation, is considered the first Native American to win Olympic gold. He achieved this in 1912 in two of the most grueling events of the time: the pentathlon and the decathlon. His records stood for decades, and I was incredibly impressed to learn that he won those events wearing shoes he had found in the trash! 
Beyond his Olympic success, Jim Thorpe was a professional legend in football (Hall of Famer), baseball, and basketball. 
An interesting fact is that Jim Thorpe never actually set foot in the town that bears his name during his lifetime. After his passing, his third wife moved his body from Oklahoma because the authorities there declined to build the monument she wished for. She searched for a place that would properly honor her late husband’s legacy and discovered that the towns of Mauch Chunk and East Mauch Chunk in Pennsylvania were facing serious economic struggles.
She proposed a deal: Jim Thorpe’s remains would be buried there on the condition that the town build a monument in his honor and rename itself after him. Given Thorpe’s fame, the towns agreed, hoping to revitalize the local economy through tourism. Interesting, isn’t it?
Here are some photos from my visit to the Jim Thorpe Memorial today. 
I hope you enjoyed this bit of history! And don’t forget… #letsguide!
Marco
