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Validu 82526, participating stores, while supplies last, toppies and sauces sold separately. Copyright 7-Eleven Hank, all rights reserved. This is Lee Habib, and this is Our American Stories. And we tell stories about everything here on this show, from the arts to sports and from business to history, and everything in between, including your story. Send them.
to ouramericanstories.com. They're some of our favorites. And this next story is brought to us by a listener, Mike Chapman, who listens to us on 1040 WHO out of Des Moines, Iowa. Abraham Lincoln is one of the greatest leaders in U.S. history, but prior to his being elected the 16th President of the United States, he used his skills as a wrestler.
to win approval from the masses. Mike Chapman. Has been writing about and researching wrestling for many years. He is also the author of The Sport of Lincoln. Here is Mike Chapman to share this turning point story.
in Abraham Lincoln's life. Aside from my passion for wrestling, I have long been intrigued by the history of US Presidents. That really began to blossom when I was executive editor of the daily newspaper in Dixon, Illinois, which is the hometown of Ronald Reagan. I was the editor there from 1989 to 1998. During that 10-year period, I discovered that Abe Lincoln had actually served in the very same location that is Dixon today.
Lincoln served there during the Black Hawk War of 1832. And that fact really inspired me to learn more about Lincoln as a young man. which in turn led me to the little village of New Salem, Illinois. It is located about 200 miles south of Dixon and about 20 miles northwest of Springfield, Illinois. And what a wonderful place that is for any history buff.
Abraham Lincoln was born on February 6, 1809, and raised in Kentucky. But when he was seven the Lincoln family moved to Indiana. He grew into a strapping young man nearly six foot four inches tall and weighing about a hundred and eighty pounds. He first strolled into New Salem in eighteen thirty one as a twenty two year old looking for a new start in life. And soon he became engaged in an event that was destined to play a very important role in his career.
It was called scuffling or grappling. and in modern terms it is called wrestling. But first a little background. Wrestling is often called mankind's oldest sport. as it is a subject in some of the oldest pieces of literature known to exist.
In the Epic of Gilgamesh, composed in ancient Samer, which today is now known as a rock. nearly four thousand years ago, a wrestling contest between Gilgamesh, the king of the large city of Uruk, and a forest giant named Inkadu is an important feature of the saga. In the Bible, as described in Genesis, The Hebrew patriarch Jacob wrestles with the angel of the Lord. After a struggle that lasted all through the night, the angel gave Jacob a new name. Israel.
which loosely translated means contested with God.
Some of the greatest figures in ancient Greece. such as Theseus, Hercules, and Achilles, the most celebrated hero in the Trojan War epic known as the Iliad. were wrestlers. and there are drawings of wrestlers inside some of the pyramids in Egypt. Wrestling came to the New World with the first colonists back in the late sixteen hundreds.
that flourished along the eastern seaboard and moved west with the men who carved homes out of the wilderness. and it was popular both as a test of manhood and as a form of entertainment in small villages like New Salem. It also attracted betting, which made it even more popular. Today, New Salem is a beautiful state park with over 650,000 visitors a year. It is possible to walk through the main gate and stroll down the same path.
that a twenty two year old Abe Lincoln traversed in eighteen thirty one. The village was founded in 1828, and Lincoln lived there for about six years. serving as a surveyor, postmaster, store operator, and rail splitter. It was here that Lincoln got his first taste of politics. when he was elected to the Illinois General Assembly.
And it was also here. In 1831, that the Lincoln legend first began to bloom. Thanks to wrestling. Lincoln came to New Salem because he had received an offer from a man named Denton Offutt. to work in his little store situated on a bluff near the Sangamon River.
They had met some time earlier when Lincoln had worked for Offutt on his flat boat. taking goods down the Mississippi River to sell in New Orleans. Offutt took a liking to Lincoln and told him That he could work for him in New Salem if he ever decided to venture over that way.
So now when Lincoln arrived, Offutt was in competition with another store just 40 feet from his. It was run by a man by the name of William Clary. In the summer of eighteen thirty one Clary was selling liquor from his store and doing very well. He charged twelve cents for a drink of brandy, gin, or whiskey, and twice that for his best wine. He developed a good and steady business of local customers and visitors from off the river.
When river travelers came up the bluff for a break in their journeys, they were looking for a place to drink a bit and swap tails.
So Offutt chose to build his store very close to Clary's and the two men competed for business. Clary's store was at the top of the bluff about 40 feet in front of Offutt's store. Travelers had to make a choice between them as to which was the best place to spend their small amount of money. Lincoln had impressed Offutt with his wiry strength. Offutt had seen Abe pick up large barrels of whisky and other bulky items and carry them off with ease.
At 6 feet 4 and 4 inches of height and carrying close to 180 pounds of sinewy muscle. He was very large man for that time. Offutt was a man who liked to talk a lot. He was very proud of his new helper, and boasted to William Clary that Abe was the strongest man he knew. But Clary knew a few strong men as well.
They were men of a different temperament than Abe Lincoln. loud and belligerent when the liquor took effect. Wrestling was the best way to determine what a man was made of. the bouts in the thick grass between Clary's store and Offit store were a regular occurrence. in a true frontier style.
The ringleader of the bunch was a rugged farmer from nearby Clary's Grove called Jack Armstrong. Shorter than Lincoln, Armstrong was much thicker and heavier. At age twenty seven he was five years older than Abe. Little is known about Armstrong's wrestling expertise other than the fact that he was considered the roughest of the gang of young men. who resided at Clary's Grove and hung out at the Clary's Tavern.
And when we continue more of Mike Chapman's story about Abe Lincoln. Here in our American stories. Lee Habib here, and I'd like to encourage you to subscribe to Our American Stories on Apple Podcasts, the iHeartRadio app, Spotify, or wherever you get our podcasts. Any story you missed or want to hear again can be found there daily. Again, Please subscribe to the Our American Stories podcast on Apple Podcasts, the iHeartRadio app, or anywhere you get your podcasts.
It helps us keep these great American stories coming. Spending time outdoors, then let's talk about skin cancer. Non-melanoma skin cancers, or NMSCs, including basal cell carcinoma and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, are the most common cancers in the U.S. and can become harder to treat if left undetected. That's why sun protection and timely detection matter.
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Experience Amazing at your Lexus Dealer. And we continue with our American stories and Mike Chapman's story, a listener. about Abraham Lincoln's wrestling match that became the turning point in his life. Let's continue with Mike Chapman. Within a short amount of time from Lincoln's arrival, a match was brewing.
and talk soon reached the point that if either man shied away he would be branded a coward. Tired of Offutt's boasting, Armstrong eagerly accepted the challenge of wrestling Lincoln. Offutt offered to bet anyone $10 that Lincoln would win. Money, drinks, and various items were soon being wagered all around the village. Finally, the two men, Lincoln and Armstrong, met on the grassy area between the stores to settle the talk.
As many as 100 men gathered to see the contest. as it was undoubtedly a a major source of discussion in the little village and the surrounding area. While Abe had the advantage in height and leverage, Jack had the advantage in experience and attitude. He was undoubtedly a more seasoned grappler and fighter. according to all reports.
Now there were several types of wrestling that were engaged in on the frontier. One style was to where the two men agreed to grab a hold on each other and see who could throw who first. What it was was just a good old-fashioned scuffle, with each man trying to throw the other to his back and hold him there. It was just two men tugging and pulling each other in an effort to subdue the other. Yes, foot stomping was a frequent tactic, as was hair pulling and thumbing of the face.
In 1939, a popular movie called Abe Linkin of Illinois. was made from the Pulitzer Prize-winning play of the same name written by Robert Sherwood. In this film version of the story, Lincoln played superbly by Raymond Massey. Tangles with Armstrong. played with gusto by Howard Da Silva in a wild Affair.
It was a dramatic version that certainly looked good on film. Many stories have the match ending with Lincoln on his feet. looking down at the defeated Armstrong. the Clary's Grove boys, angry at seeing their best man beaten. advanced on Lincoln, shouting at him and raising their fists.
An all-out fight appeared imminent. Lincoln supposedly stood with his back against one of the two stores, fists clenched. and declared that he would take them all on one at a time, if necessary.
However, Armstrong came to Lincoln's side and told his pals that Lincoln had beaten him fairly. and that he had proven that he was worthy of their respect. Boys He Blinken is the best fellow that ever broke into this settlement, said Armstrong. He shall be one of us. The Clarice Grove boys backed off and Lincoln gained a new status in the little village.
He was known from then on as a man not to be trifled with. despite his infectious grin and considered good humor. The fact was, it seemed, that Lincoln could defend himself. and he gained immense stature due to his wrestling prowess.
So the main thrust of the bout could be described like this. Lincoln didn't really want to wrestle Armstrong because he felt it was building up too much as a fight. and not strictly a good natured contest. But when he saw how everyone was talking about the match and making such a big deal, He knew it was bound to take place eventually. It is estimated today that nearly 15,000 books have been written about Abraham Lincoln.
more than any other figure in history. with the exception of Jesus Christ. And many of these books talk about Lincoln's contest with Jack Armstrong and its impact on his career. The most thorough discussion of Lincoln's wrestling background comes in the book Honor's Voice. the transformation of Abraham Lincoln.
written by Douglas L. Wilson in 1999. The book offers an entire chapter, nearly 32 pages. devoted to Lincoln's wrestling prowess. appropriately entitled, quote, Wrestling with the Evidence.
Here's the key part. Abraham Lincoln's election to the presidency and his eventual elevation to the pantheon of American heroes. Have transformed his wrestling match with Jack Armstrong from a rowdy initiation right in an obscure pioneer village. into a notable historical event. End quote.
Wilson then quotes John T. Stewart. who knew Lincoln as well as anyone, and brought him into his law firm in Springfield. after Lincoln left New Salem. Quote This was the turning point in Lincoln's life.
Stewart claimed after the death of his longtime friend talking about the wrestling match. As a fitting end to the New Salem wrestling match story, Lincoln became friends with the Armstrong family and often visited the little cabin in the months after the match with Jack. Jack's wife, Hannah, even knitted some shirts for Abe. and Abe would babysit sometimes rocking the cradle of their young baby. Lincoln left New Salem after six years and moved to Springfield, where he began his law career.
Years later, he even defended Jack's son, Duff Armstrong, in a famous legal case. Jack Armstrong didn't live long enough to see Lincoln win the presidency, dying in 1854 at the age of fifty. He is buried in an obscure, out-of-the-way frontier cemetery a mile or two from New Salem. Unknown except for his grappling contest with a man who became the 16th President of the United States. and arguably the most popular American ever.
There are other brief references to Lincoln using his grappling skills after the Armstrong encounter.
Some time later, while working in another tiny store in New Salem, A man insulted several women, customers, with profane language. and Lincoln asked him to stop. The man persisted, and said no one could make him stop. Lincoln challenged him to step outside, flung him to the ground, and stuffed weeds in his mouth until the man surrendered. In August of 1834, while running for the state legislature, Lincoln found the opportunity to show his wrestling skills once again.
During that time he was running for office once again and this time he was elected to the state legislature. Just as Lincoln was getting ready to speak, a fight broke out in the crowd, and his friend was roughed up. Blinka jumped off the platform, grabbed his friend's assailant, tossed him a few feet, then strode back to the platform and began his speech. And then there is also a report of Lincoln losing. a grappling contest.
It occurred during the Black Hawk War years, sometime in the 1831-33 period, and took place in Beardstown, Illinois. a little village about fifty miles west of Dixon. The foe was a man named Lorenzo Dow Thompson. and many years later, in 1860, While running for the presidency, Lincoln himself talked about the struggle. in an interview.
Lincoln said up to that time he had never been thrown, and neither had Thompson. They squared off, grabbed hold of each other before a large group of soldiers, and struggled valiantly, but Lincoln said he was thrown twice, declaring Thompson was strong enough to whip a grizzly bear and the best man he had ever grappled with. And then there's this fascinating tidbit from the Douglas Wilson book, Honor's Voice. He adds that Abe's mother, Nancy Hanks, liked to wrestle. and quote, in a fair wrestle, she could throw most of the men who ever put her powers to the test.
So let us conclude with this statement from Wilson's book. quote, legends by their very nature. are not so much factual account. As symbolic embodiments or expressions of what the facts represent. In any case, Abe Lincoln's wrestling prowess Can best be interpreted as representing Lincoln as a strong, determined, and fearless fellow.
ready to take on the task at hand. and never shrinking from the ordeal itself. After all, that is what the man known as Honest Abe would want from us. the pure truth, the facts, and nothing else. Abe Lincoln was a wrestler.
And you've been listening to Mike Chapman tell the story of Abe Lincoln the Wrestler. Who knew? Who knew? I didn't. And I've read a lot about Lincoln.
And, well, some of the books he cited, I have on my desk. I have a stack of Lincoln books I still have to read. And you can never stop reading about Lincoln and Washington and some of these great, almost titanic personalities because there's just so much to them. And by the way, Mike spent his life as a newspaper writer and editor in Iowa. and also has spent fifty years of his life.
Writing and researching wrestling, he's appeared on A ⁇ E Network, ESPN, and the WWE. Abe Lincoln and the wrestling match that became the turning point in his life. Here on Our American Stories. Spending time outdoors, then let's talk about skin cancer. Non-melanoma skin cancers, or NMSCs, including basal cell carcinoma and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, are the most common cancers in the U.S.
and can become harder to treat if left undetected. That's why sun protection and timely detection matter. Our sponsor, Regeneron, is raising awareness about advanced NMSCs. Learn more and take the pledge to see a dermatologist annually at let's get real about skincancer.com. Upgrade to elite checking from America's Christian Credit Union and earn up to 4% APY, plus everyday perks and access to your paycheck up to two days early with early pay.
Don't settle. Choose checking that rewards you and aligns with your values. Visit America's ChristianCU.com forward slash iHeart. Minimum balance of one cent required to earn advertised APY. Early pay not guaranteed.
APY equals annual percentage yield. Membership eligibility required. And CUA insured. Um Yeah. Fill your tank and fill yourself with new experiences.
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