With the 2016 Summer Olympics underway, we found an Olympics-themed attraction to visit in Oklahoma – The Jim Thorpe Home and Museum in Yale. Jim Thorpe was born in 1888 near Prague (Indian Territory) and grew up in the Sac and Fox Indian Nation. He became known as the “world’s greatest athlete” and went on to compete and win 2 gold medals in the 1912 Summer Olympics. Thorpe became the first Native American to win a gold medal for his home country. The Jim Thorpe Home is a free museum open to the public for tours, and is full of artifacts of the Thorpe family.
Pictured below is Thorpe at the 1912 Summer Olympics. Right before he was to compete in the Olympics, Thorpe’s shoes were stolen. He found some shoes in a waste basket and competed in these mismatched shoes and socks.
Agence Rol/Wikipedia
He won his Olympic gold medals in the pentathlon and decathlon (wearing the same shoes found in the trash).
Jim-Thorpe-House/Facebook
He lived in this 2-bedroom house in Yale, Oklahoma from 1917 to 1923. It is the only house Jim Thorpe ever owned. The house was built in 1915 and had cold running water, electric, sewer and gas…which was unusual for that time period.
K Latham/Flickr
The property is managed by the Jim Thorpe Foundation and the Oklahoma Historical Society. The home is open to the public Wednesday - Saturday from 9am - 5pm.
Jim-Thorpe-House/Facebook
The interior still contains many of Jim Thorpe’s personal belongings and artifacts. The gold medals are now on display at the Oklahoma History Center.
Jim-Thorpe-House/Facebook
This log cabin also sits next to the home and is used to educate the public about Thorpe and his contribution to our state.
K Latham/Flickr
Address and Contact Info for The Jim Thorpe House:
Agence Rol/Wikipedia
Jim-Thorpe-House/Facebook
K Latham/Flickr
706 E Boston Yale, OK 74085 Phone: 918-387-2815
If you’re looking for more tours in Oklahoma, click here.
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