Mauch Chunk; now Jim Thorpe; was established on the Lehigh River as a shipping depot for anthracite coal in 1818 by Josiah White; a Philadelphia Quaker and brilliant engineer; and his trusted business partner; Erskine Hazard. By 1829; White and Hazard had founded the Lehigh Coal Navigation Company and built an efficient transportation system that moved coal nine miles over the mountains to Mauch Chunk by Switchback Gravity Railroad; and forty-six miles along the Lehigh Canal to Easton. With the arrival of the railroads; the Switchback became a major tourist attraction. As rail excursionists descended on Mauch Chunk to experience a hair-raising ride on Americas first roller coaster and enjoy the magnificent scenery; the coal shipping town; billed by the railroads as "the Switzerland of America;" became a tourist destination second in popularity to Niagara Falls. In a story stranger than fiction; the town exchanged its name for the name of Jim Thorpe when the 1912 Olympic hero was laid to rest there in 1954. Through an extraordinary collection of photographs; Jim Thorpe (Mauch Chunk) tells the story of the athlete and his burial; the Switchback Gravity Railroad; the Lehigh Canal; the social scene; and the towns Victorian legacy.
#2100788 in eBooks 2010-03-01 2010-03-01File Name: B0099JQKPM
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy E. WeiszGood book for anyone from Zepherhills past.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. ZEPHYRHILLS is a great small town!By Debbie BoyetteIt was very interesting and well written. I really loved the way it was set out in the book. The author obviously did her homework. The narratives along with the photos were informative and fun.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Memories revivedBy G. WellsBought the bools for my husband and Father -in- law who grew up and still have a home there. They remember so many places and people in the book.
