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Jim Thorpe is a lovely little town in Pennsylvania, about an hour and a half north of Philadelphia. The town has a fascinating history! I've given you some photos, and I must apologize for the overcast weather -- and hence less than brilliant colors. But I hope you'll get a sense of what the landscape and experience can be like. What follows are just some factoids which captured my fancy, out of the many decades.... Once it was known as Mauch Chunk. The village was founded by Quakers fleeing conscription during the War of 1812. Mauch Chunk was the anthracite capial of the United States. This was at a time when Anthracite was the key fuel in the U.S. As part of the coal tansport process, mules carried coal uphill and then reportedly enjoyed an ear-flapping ride back downhill! (There's a cute illustration of the happy mules in the train station's history display.) The town also saw the trials of the Molly Maguires, who were accused, perhaps wrongfully, of various labor struggle-related crimes. Millionaires built their homes in this town. Several are still visible, and visitable, including the Asa Packer Mansion. A strange and intereting aspect of the town's history is the story of its name-change. It seems that the widow of the football great, Jim Thorpe, was searching for a place to bury her husband. Despite his many Olympic medals won, his home town refused to accept his body -- owing to Thorpe having accepted payment for some sports earlier in his career. So Mrs. Thorpe worked out an arrangement with Mauch Chunk to have her husband's body rest there in exhange for a payment. She also stipulated that the town's name be changed to Jim Thorpe. After a series of referenda, the town - eager for a new attraction - changed its name. Today, Jim Thorpe is a great place to go for history, foliage tours, a railroad sightseeing trip, cross-country skiing, biking and more. On this page, you'll see scenes from a trip aboard the Switchback Railroad. Sorry that the pix were taken on an overcast day. Its a nice 2.5 hour journey, best enjoyed on a bright day. I would recommend arriving early, doing exercise or sightseeing for a few hours, having lunch, and then taking the RR trip. Otherwise, you could be in for too much sitting. The cars are unheated, but your conviviality can geerate its own warmth, as did ours. We also packed a picnic lunch, which beat the cafe car's offerings by miles. Go and enjoy! The railroad's web site has been down, so call Rail Tours Inc. at 570-325-4606 for up-to-date info. Do reserve, especially if you choose the Saturday afternoon outing. And arrive early, because the train -- which seats 700 -- fills up quickly. See directions from Philly HERE. A reasonably informative web site is http://www.visitjimthorpe.com/index2.htm. |
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| This is what you see upon entering the town. The railroad station and center of town are in the upper right of this photo. |
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| Now the town's center with its Victorian architecture is more visible. |
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| The Railroad train takes you ona nice 2.5 hour sightseeing ride. Even on an overcast day like |
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| A family enjoys the view despite the rainy weather. |
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| Splendid foliage greets you as you ride along, especially near the end when you are high and stopped upon a railroad trestle. |
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| I couldn't resist the urge to wave at the migrating armadillos and giant elk! |
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| This is what you see looking down from the stopped train. |
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| Valley view. |
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| More vivid colors and the... |
End of our tour... hope you enjoyed it!