Supreme Court Refuses Appeal Over Resting Place Of Jim Thorpe

The United States Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal concerning the final resting place of sporting legend Jim Thorpe. The suit was brought by sons of the Olympic gold medalist to have their father’s body moved to tribal grounds in his native Oklahoma. The body was placed in it’s current resisting spot by Thorpe’s widow after Oklahoma refused to erect a monument in the 1950’s. At trial, the judge ruled that the memorial dedicated to Thorpe triggered a federal law that was designed to return Native American remains to tribes but was overturned on appeal. By declining to hear the case, the Supreme Court has seemingly put an end to any attempts to move Thorpe from the city that now bears his name.

See Peter Hall, U.S. Supreme Court: Jim Thorpe’s body to remain in town that bears his name, The Morning Call, October 5, 2015.