Jim Thorpe, PA: 24 hours in Little Switzerland

Intro

Jim Thorpe is a scenic, little town in the Lehigh Gorge of Eastern PA. Its appearance—Historic architecture amongst a mountainous backdrop—has earned it nicknames like “Little Switzerland,” or “Switzerland of America.”

You could spend at least a long weekend here. There seems to be a lot to see and do: State parks, a lake, rafting in the Lehigh River, museums, hiking and biking trails, etc. J-Man and I only had 24 hours, so we took a scenic train ride and walk down West Broadway Street, the long, winding main street in the historic district of the town with lots of shops, restaurants, and guesthouses.

History

First, though, the town’s name is obviously intriguing, so let’s cover that quickly. Initially, there were two towns: Mauch Chunk (Mawsch Unk) and East Mauch Chunk. “Mauch Chunk” means “Bear Mountain” or “Sleeping Bear” in Unami, the language of the Lenape people. In the picture of the map below, you can see how Jim Thorpe, PA has two parts. The section on top is former East Mauch Chunk; the one below is former Mauch Chunk.

Mauch Chunk was initially founded in 1818 as a company town of the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company, but in the middle of the 1900’s, after the coal industry had collapsed, the town was looking to reinvent itself. Coincidentally, at the same time, Patricia Thorpe, the widow of Jim Thorpe, who is considered to be one of the greatest athletes of all time for his gold medals in the pentathlon and decathalon at the 1912 Olympics, as well as many years playing professional football, baseball, and basketball, was looking to have a memorial built in Jim’s honor after his death. Although Jim had no connection to Mauch Chunk (he was born in the Sac and Fox Nation of modern day Oklahoma), the two parties found a deal to be mutually beneficial: Jim’s legacy would be remembered and the town would benefit from the resulting tourism. So, in 1954, Mauch Chunk and East Mauch Chunk merged and renamed themselves Jim Thorpe, PA, and in 1957 built Jim Thorpe Memorial Hall.

West Jim Thorpe is the historic district, while East Jim Thorpe is a bit more residential. We spent our 24 hours in the historic district.

Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway

You can see the location of the train station the bottom right quadrant of the picture below. The train then runs northward through the valley alongside the Lehigh River.