The Ben Lilly Legend »

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.

Esau the Hunter I. Mister Ben Lilly and His Book II. The Cowwhip III. That Hawk Kept Flying IV. Teddy Roosevelt's Chief Huntsman V. In Texas and Mexico VI. Master Sign-reader of the Rockies VII. "That Taos Bear"
VIII. The Lilly Dogs IX. Ben Lilly on Panthers X. The Smell of Mortality Sources: People and Print Index