Ever heard a story so wild, so unbelievable, that it sounds like something straight out of a tall tale? Well, buckle up, because today we’re diving into a slice of Wild West history that’s stranger—and significantly more macabre—than fiction. We’re talking about a notorious bandit, a determined doctor, and a pair of shoes that probably had the most interesting origin story in all of Wyoming. Yes, we’re talking about Big Nose George Parrott, and a true story that proves history is often stranger than fiction.
Back in the late 1800s, the American frontier was a place of rough justice and even rougher characters. Enter George Parrott, better known as “Big Nose George,” a notorious outlaw and train robber. He wasn’t exactly known for his charm, but he certainly made a name for himself with his criminal escapades. His luck, however, ran out in 1881 when he was captured after a botched train robbery and a murder.
Justice on the frontier wasn’t always a slow, bureaucratic process. After a failed escape attempt from jail, Big Nose George found himself at the wrong end of a very angry mob. He was lynched from a telephone pole in Rawlins, Wyoming. A grim end, to be sure, but that’s only where this story gets truly bizarre.
Now, imagine this: after the lynching, a local physician named Dr. John E. Osborne steps onto the scene. What did he do? He didn’t just certify the death. Oh no. Dr. Osborne, with a rather unsettling blend of scientific curiosity and… well, something else, decided to get really hands-on.
He performed an autopsy, sure, but then he took things to an unprecedented level. He literally skinned parts of Big Nose George’s body. And what did he do with this rather unusual “material”? He had it tanned. Yes, tanned. Like leather.
From this macabre hide, Dr. Osborne commissioned a pair of shoes, a medical bag, and even a coin purse. Talk about resourceful, right? Though, perhaps “disturbing” is a more fitting adjective here.
But wait, it gets even wilder. Dr. John E. Osborne wasn’t just a doctor with a penchant for bizarre anatomy projects. He was also a man with political ambitions. Fast forward a few years, and guess what? John E. Osborne was elected as the third Governor of Wyoming.
And the shoes? The ones made from Big Nose George’s skin? Legend has it—and historical accounts confirm—that Governor Osborne actually wore those very shoes to his inaugural ball. Imagine the conversations at that event! “Nice shoes, Governor. Where’d you get them?” “Oh, just a little something I whipped up from a local bandit.”
This isn’t just a gruesome footnote in history; it’s a peek into the raw, often unsettling, realities of the American frontier. It reminds us that history isn’t always neat textbooks and noble deeds. Sometimes, it’s a story of a bandit, a doctor, and a pair of shoes that saw a governor sworn into office.
So, the next time you think you’ve heard it all, just remember Big Nose George. Because honestly, you probably haven’t. And that, my friends, is a fact stranger than fiction.
Caracole