The
search for the true story of Limpy Jack Clayton has been a labor of
love of local history. Jack Clayton lived from 1833-1893 and
was a colorful character who spent his later years in Jamestown,
North Dakota. Jack's adventures on the frontier secured his
place in the local lore. A true pioneer of the west, Jack's
eclectic incarnations established him as a legendary local
figure. Former Union soldier, attorney, saloon-keeper,
stagecoach driver, as well as secretary of the Sunday School
organization - in essence, a Jack of all trades.
Jack's life and times
come barreling out of the old west as vividly as that of a character
right out of a Louis L'Amour novel. In fact, Louis L'Amour -
himself a Jamestown native, may have grown up hearing tales of Limpy
Jack's heroic actions driving the stage around a raging prairie fire
to safely deliver his frightened passengers, or yet another about
severely frosting himself on a bitter cold journey home from a New
Year's Eve dance - eventually losing a hand and a foot. No
doubt young Louis's father, the local veterinarian, would have
spoken of Jack's renowned love and devotion to his cherished and
trusted team. The surest way to rile Jack, was to doubt his
care and concern for his horses, who he treasured and doted on as if
they were his own children.
Tania Durham, a
Jamestown native now living in Tennessee composed and sang "The
Ballad of Limpy Jack" as part of the Jamestown Centennial
Celebration in 1983. For the past twenty years she has
retracted and tracked Jack's journey from his birthplace in New York
to his final resting place somewhere in the McGinnis Cemetery.
Jack's plot is unknown - he was buried with honors and wrapped in
Old Glory - formerly flown above Fort Seward, the military outpost
overlooking Jamestown. It is here that the Ft. Totten trial
begins, winding through the buffalo grass, ruts from Jack's stage
still visible in the rolling hills and
prairie. |
