The Ben Lilly Legend brings back to life a great American hunter—the greatest bear hunter in history after Davy Crockett, by his own account and also by the record. J. Frank Dobie met Lilly and was so struck by this extraordinary man that he collected everything he could find about him.
Lilly was born in Alabama in 1856, followed the bear and the panther westward through Mississippi and Louisiana to Texas, leaving a trail of stories about his prowess as a hunter and his goodness as a man. He was at one time "chief huntsman" to Teddy Roosevelt, hunted in Texas and Mexico, and came to be known as the master sign reader of the Rockies.
Here are all the stories Ben Lilly told and a great many more Frank Dobie heard about him, put together in a fresh and fascinating contribution to American folklore.
First edition was apparently printed in 1952, with a reprint in 1981 by University fo Texas Press
Other books by the author:
Apache Gold and Yaqui Silver
Cow People
Coronado's Children
Ben Lilly Legend, The
Bob More: Man and Bird Man
I'll Tell You a Tale
Flavor of Texas, The
Legends of Texas Vol 1
Legends of Texas Vol 2
Longhorns, The
Mustangs, The
Mustangs and Cow Horses
Tales of Old Time Texas
Vaquero of the Brush Country, A