The native American James Francis Thorpe was an American athlete and Olympic gold medalist. A member of the Sac and Fox Nation, Thorpe was the first Native American to win a gold medal for the United States in the Olympics.
The son of an Irish father and a Sac and Fox Indian mother Jim Thorpe died on March 28, 1953, in Lomita, California, United States at the age of 65.
Where was Jim Thorpe buried? Jim Thorpe’s place of burial revealed
Jim Thorpe was known to have been buried in Oklahoma, but our numerous searches found out that, the legendary athlete was buried in Jim Thorpe, PA – a town he may never have even visited. But before renaming itself Jim Thorpe the town of Mauch Chunk, PA realized it needed a tourist attraction.
So, the town asked the Thorpe Family for Jim’s body with the stipulation that they would rename the town Jim Thorpe and provide him with a nice grave/park combination located in the city. The family agreed and he was moved to what would be renamed Jim Thorpe, PA.
His body rests above the ground in a marble tomb. Pictures are etched into the tomb showing Jim as an Olympic athlete, football player, basketball player, baseball player, and riding horseback in full native dress (Jim was a Native American).
The casket itself rests on a mound of dirt comprised of soil from his native Oklahoma and from the stadium in Stockholm where he participated in the 1912 Olympics. After watching Jim perform in the Olympics Sweden’s King Gustav V declared Jim “the greatest athlete in the world”.
The grave itself there is a small area to the left of the casket complete with an artsy sculpture titled “The Spirit of Thunder and Lightning.” All around the sculpture, you can read about Jim’s life and accomplishments.
Though the town of Jim Thorpe wanted Jim’s body to generate tourist interest, it didn’t seem to work. While there were hundreds of people in the town of Jim Thorpe proper for some art.
Source: nflfaqs.com
