It wasn't until 1983 that his medals were reinstated and his name was placed back in the Olympic record book as the only athlete to win the pentathlon and decathlon in the same Games. In one of the most tragic of all sports stories, Thorpe's two Olympic medals from the 1912 Games were stripped away because he was paid for playing two semi-professional baseball seasons prior to the Olympics, at the time a violation of amateur status rules. Although he was never in the town, he does have a connection to the area starting his athletic career at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School about 100 miles away. Each year, the town has a two-day event to honor the athlete who excelled in track and field, football and baseball. She and town officials struck a deal and the athlete's remains were moved to the town renamed Jim Thorpe.
His home state of Oklahoma had refused to erect a memorial in his honor. In 1954, Jim Thorpe's third wife, Patricia, was looking for a town to pay homage to her late husband with a fitting memorial to commemorate his Olympic, professional and amateur sports achievements. Amazingly, residents contributed $30,000 in nickels within a few years. In the 1950s – in an effort to kick start its dragging economy – the town started a “Nickel a Week” campaign to raise money for the collective good, according to a history of the town. (Mauch Chunk means Bear Place in the native Munsee-Lenape Native American language.) The town changed its name in 1954 from Mauch Chunk to Jim Thorpe, a story that has to rank as one of the most unusual in American history. It's become a favorite location in the Poconos for those who love the out-of-doors and recreation. Today, the county seat of Carbon County is known as the Switzerland of America for its picturesque scenery and varied architectural styles. Once a bustling coal and railroad town, it fell on hard times that were so desperate residents resorted to raising nickels to search for an economic development boost. The town – founded in 1818 – nestled in the shadow of Bear Mountain beside the Lehigh River has had to redefine itself several times. Jim Thorpe, Pa., has a unique history that includes a name change.
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