Historical Marker Program

Birth Site of Jim Thorpe

Pottawatomie County
Location: approximately six miles southwest of Prague on NS Rd 3510
Coordinates: 35.421941, -96.753523
Material: Granite
Sponsor(s): BancFirst of Prague and the Oklahoma Historical Society
Topics: American Indians; Early Statehood, 1907–1941; Recreational/Service; Social/Cultural

James Francis Thorpe (Sac and Fox) and twin brother Charles were born here to Hiram and Charlotte Thorpe. Born as Wa-tho-huck, or “Bright Path,” Thorpe dominated the 1912 Olympics, winning both the decathlon and pentathlon events. He played major league baseball and professional football. He was the first president of the National Football League and is a member of Professional Football Hall of Fame. The Associated Press voted him the world’s greatest male athlete of the first half of the twentieth century.