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REVIVED FROM THE ASHES --Interesting factoids about the N. Kaibab

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Walapai Johnny was like a grandpa to me. One of my heroes. I grew up around him, learned how to roll smokes and drink Lord Calvert whiskey straight from the jug from that old man. When I was in middle school my class was assigned to do a report on somebody they admired. While most people chose to report about celebrities and athletes, I interviewed Walapai and did my report on him. Man the stories he could tell. When I turned in my assignment, the teacher told me the assignment was supposed to be about a real person and that she was going to make me re do the paper. When I told Walapai about this he drove his 1959 Ford cattle truck from Fredonia, Arizona to Cedar City, Utah and came to my class, told the teacher he heard that she didn't think he was real and proceeded to enchant the entire class with his stories. Needless to say I got an A after that. This was a couple of years before he died, I was probably 14 and he was in his 80s. He was the last of the true cowboys, or as he referred to himself, " the last of the blue-eyed Indians." Walapai died in 1996 from an infection in his leg which the docs told him that he could live for a few more years if he would let them amputate his leg. He told them "I came into this world a whole man, I'm goin out the same." Rest in peace Cowboy, you made me who I am today.

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  On 6/25/2025 at 12:15 AM, WalapaiJohnny said:

Walapai Johnny was like a grandpa to me. One of my heroes. I grew up around him, learned how to roll smokes and drink Lord Calvert whiskey straight from the jug from that old man. When I was in middle school my class was assigned to do a report on somebody they admired. While most people chose to report about celebrities and athletes, I interviewed Walapai and did my report on him. Man the stories he could tell. When I turned in my assignment, the teacher told me the assignment was supposed to be about a real person and that she was going to make me re do the paper. When I told Walapai about this he drove his 1959 Ford cattle truck from Fredonia, Arizona to Cedar City, Utah and came to my class, told the teacher he heard that she didn't think he was real and proceeded to enchant the entire class with his stories. Needless to say I got an A after that. This was a couple of years before he died, I was probably 14 and he was in his 80s. He was the last of the true cowboys, or as he referred to himself, " the last of the blue-eyed Indians." Walapai died in 1996 from an infection in his leg which the docs told him that he could live for a few more years if he would let them amputate his leg. He told them "I came into this world a whole man, I'm goin out the same." Rest in peace Cowboy, you made me who I am today.

That is a fantastic story.

 

Eddie

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Man this thread is full of priceless history thanks to Tony and some more from Bill...I missed this one the first time around.

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