Extraordinary Stories From An Ordinary Guy: The "King Of The Wild Frontier" Story

Davey Crockett

It was an ordinary day. Listening to the "YouTube" video "Davey, Davey Crockett... King of the Wild Frontier!" I had to play it a second time so I could sing along, since I hadn't heard the song since I was a youngster back in the early 50s. Didn't realize it had six verses! Wait a minute! My wife is yelling from upstairs..."Are you OK?" "Yes, dear!" I yelled back. So, why am I singing the Davey Crockett ballad? A few minutes ago I was checking out the "Lancastrian" Facebook page and saw a rather interesting addition to the site. Fellow posted a newspaper story telling the city of Lancaster that Davy Crockett came here 148 years ago. Yep, the real Davey Crockett. Davey Crockett was one of my childhood heroes who was portrayed by Fess Parker in the five 1954 Walt Disney television serials. The TV show created a big demand for frontier-themed children's toys as well as coonskin hats that were selling at a rate of 5,000 per day. Fess Parker was born on August 16, 1924 and died a bit over nine years ago on March 18, 2010. He was a big guy (6'6" tall) who all my friends loved when he was portraying Davey Crockett. I'm not sure I actually knew who the real Davey Crockett was until a few hours ago when I "Googled" him on my desktop computer.

Drawing of him as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Brief description of him told me he was born on August 17, 1786 in what is now eastern Tennessee, but at the time was the state of Franklin, a territory that had declared its independence from North Carolina. He entered school at the age of 13 and attended four days before he ambushed the class bully after school and gave him a severe beating. He avoided school until his father found out and was going to give him a whipping for his misdeeds.

U.S. Postage stamp made to honor him.

Davey decided it best to strike out on his own so he left home with a group of cattle drovers and spent two-and-a-half years traveling as a teamster, farmhand and hat maker's apprentice. He finally returned home in 1802, but his family didn't recognize him. At the age of 27 he joined the state militia to fight the "Red Sticks", a faction of Creek Indians who'd attacked American settlers at Fort Mims, Alabama.

Painting of him in the "Battle of the Alamo".

He was part of the volunteers who were under the command of future president Andrew Jackson during the battle of Creek Village of Tallus- hatchee where 200 Red Sticks were slaughtered. Crockett then served as a sergeant during Jackson's War of 1812 campaign in Spanish Florida. He became a professional hunter stalking black bears in the woods of Tennessee. Davey was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1826 where he gained fame for his folksy persona and advocacy for the poor.

Posting in "The Lancastrian".
Click to enlarge.

Four years later he began a feud with President Andrew Jackson over his Indian Removal Act. He grew bored of politics and shortly became a national celebrity for his larger-then-life exploits as a frontiersman. A very popular play titled "The Lion of the West" first was performed in 1831 and was allegedly about him, even thought the title character's name was Nimrod Wildfire. Before long, tales of his larger-then-life exploits began appearing in almanacs, biographies and newspaper articles. Perhaps the article I had read leading to my singing along with the "YouTube" rendition of "Davey Crockett" was one such article that was written about him. Crockett was assumed killed in the Battle of the Alamo, but in 1975 a new account of his death surfaced saying he was captured by the Mexicans and executed on orders of Santa Anna. His death secured his place as an American hero, but his famous coonskin cap was what all the young boys in the country wanted to wear to honor him. I just loved mine. Too bad I have no idea what happened to it, but I suspect my mom took care of it since she never liked the thing. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

Fess Parker who played Davey Crockett in the movies.

I was one of these young boys years ago.

Poster from one of Walt Disney's movies.

Another photo of the coonskin hero.

Click on link to listen to the YouTube video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAVN_n0PljQ
PS - Listen to the song and see "if it ain't a catchy toon" after listening to it an hour or so! A few comments that follow were comments on the YouTube site.

1. Davey Crockett made America safe for men to wear dead animals on their heads. God bless you, sir!
2. I was just a kid maybe 10 or so when this Song and TV series came out. I loved it and believed it was a good influence on me. History is distorted everyday on the news but when I was a kid I wanted to be like Davy Crockett. You have to remember what Walt Disney was about too! :)
3. This was back when America was the greatest nation on earth. I sure miss this.
4. I'm 20 and Davy Crockett is my all time favorite Disney movie. I had a coonskin hat and a Red Ryder thanks to this man. I will make sure that my kids have the same.
5. Davy Crockett was the first movie I ever saw when I was eight in 1956. I loved it and still do. The song is also great, I listen to it all the time. That's from the good old day's when there were plenty of good westerns with good songs on TV. ie: Have Gun Will Travel, Rawhide, Tombstone Territory.
6. Davy Crockett is a distant cousin of mine, and let me tell you, everyone in my family killed a bear when we’re three.
7. Part of my heritage. When I was a kid I looked forward to the tv episodes. Truly an American icon.
8. names brandon crockett, i too am 6'6 haha love it when people ask me if they can call me davy...OF COURSE YOU CAN HAHA
8. i played and sang davy crocket in a sketch in callan, co. kilkenny, ireland circa 1958. even wore a type of coonskin cap. legend.
9. I wonder what my Davy Crockett lunch box would be worth today? 66 years old and I still remember it. R.I.P. Mr. Parker, we still remember you.
10. My Grandad always sang this to me and called me Davy Crockett :) Always think of him when I hear this!!
11. 74 years old and can still grin a bear to death! (written by your's truly)

And...just in case you want to sing along to the catchy tune...

Born on a mountain in Tennessee

Greenest state in the land of the free

Raised in the woods so's he knew every tree

He kilt him a bear when he was only three