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Shelby's Folly: Jack Dempsey, Doc Kearns, and the Shakedown of a Montana Boomtown Hardcover – May 1, 2010

by Jason Kelly (Author)
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 20 ratings
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In 1923, not long after oil had started gushing from northern Montana fields, real-estate sales in nearby Shelby were declining, dimming the little town’s prospects of becoming the “Tulsa of the West.” Then the mayor’s son dreamed up a marketing ploy: offer to host heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey’s next fight. What began as a publicity stunt soon spiraled into a civic drama unlike any Montana had ever seen—or ever would again. Shelby’s Folly tells this story in full for the first time.


Against the background of boom-and-bust Montana history, the folly of Shelby’s would-be promoters unfolds in colorful detail. It took months to persuade Dempsey’s conniving manager, Jack “Doc” Kearns, to sign a $300,000 contract. With less than two months before the July 4th fight, the town still had no stadium and no accommodations for tens of thousands of expected fans. Jason Kelly describes the promoters’ desperate measures and their disastrous results, from the first inkling of the idea to the bitter end of the fifteen-round boxing match. Shelby residents identified with the underdog challenger, Tommy Gibbons, who went toe-to-toe with the champion in an atmosphere crackling with tension. Nerves were so frayed that a holiday firecracker exploding in the arena sent shockwaves of fear through the crowd. A soap opera of financial intrigue and chicanery, Shelby’s Folly chronicles how Big Sky ambition and the scheming mind of Doc Kearns collided to produce one of the most preposterous series of events in boxing history.




Watch the Shelby's Folly book trailer on YouTube.
Previous page
  1. Print length
    238 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    University of Nebraska Press
  4. Publication date
    May 1, 2010
  5. Dimensions
    5.5 x 0.75 x 8.5 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0803226551
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0803226555
  8. See all details
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The Amazon Book Review
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Jason Kelly's Shelby's Folly is a highly entertaining slice of American history using Jack Dempsey’s July 4, 1922, heavyweight title fight versus Tommy Gibbons as a backdrop for brazen American optimism, small town politics, and snake oil salesmanship."—Richard Arlin Stull, ARETE

"[Shelby's Folly is] a great story of a town prostituting itself to sport—and one that has been repeated many times since."—D. R. Danbom, Time Out for Entertainment

"The University of Nebraska Press has published a simply marvelous book by author Jason Kelly detailing the tale of a little-known Montana mining town trying to break into the sporting world big leagues by promoting a heavyweight championship fight featuring the immortal Jack Dempsey."—John Rinaldi, USA Boxing News

"Shelby's Folly is such fun to read. Kelly builds toward the fight with insight into the backgrounds and personalities of Dempsey and Kearns, Gibbons, the Shelby town leaders, and the web of fight arrangers and their negotiations."—Ken Robison, Montana, The Magazine of Western History

About the Author

Jason Kelly is an associate editor of the University of Chicago Magazine. He is the author of Mr. Notre Dame: The Life and Legend of Edward “Moose” Krause.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ University of Nebraska Press; First Edition (May 1, 2010)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 238 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0803226551
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0803226555
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.05 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.75 x 8.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 20 ratings

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Jason Kelly

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Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
20 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Elizabeth Sullivan
5.0 out of 5 stars Great condition
Reviewed in the United States on July 14, 2023
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Received within a few days and the book was in great condition
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Jim
5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended for anyone interested interested in Pro Boxing History
Reviewed in the United States on August 19, 2021
Verified Purchase
The fact that a little Town like Shelby Montana could even pull this off was amazing in the first place, despite the fact they lost a fortune. Lots of research must have gone into this book. Tom Gibbons, especially. Lots of good photos, too.
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D. Stover
5.0 out of 5 stars How to bankrupt a Boom Town
Reviewed in the United States on August 7, 2015
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I had gained an interest on the Shelby debacle after reading , "A Flame Of Pure Fire", so I wanted to know more details . The author did some great research on the subject, basically it's all here, any and everything you'd ever want to know about Doc Kearn's fleecing of a Montana Boomtown ! The entire story in-itself is actually quite astonishing . Very well written , very enjoyable reading .
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Phillsphan
3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Subplot in Dempsey’s Career
Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2019
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Interesting subplot to Dempsey's Career but didn’t need a book to tell that story!
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F. Dow
5.0 out of 5 stars Geat Adventures! Scoundrels, heroes and thieves.
Reviewed in the United States on April 7, 2010
Verified Purchase
This really is a terrfic read. It's a "larger than life" true story, and one of those that couldn't be made up.
What a cast of characters, and what a collection of personal dramas.
Kelly maintains a powerful pace thoughout, just like the heavyweight championship bout it's about.
This book is a movie in the making. Highly recommened.
One person found this helpful
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Badwithhammers
1.0 out of 5 stars Doesn't tell the whole truth!!!
Reviewed in the United States on December 22, 2023
As where this book informs the reader of the fight and the money lost by this town! The author failed to mention anything about the fact that Tommy Gibbons was not supposed to be fighting Dempsey!
Jack Dempsey had already agreed to fight the winner between Gibbons and Harry Greb! Instead of fighting Harry Greb; Dempsey took on the loser!!!
I felt this was a very important part of the history that was over looked!
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Peter
4.0 out of 5 stars More of a good story than a boxing book
Reviewed in the United States on September 8, 2011
Verified Purchase
While this is listed as a boxing book, boxing is a side issue to the main story.

Shelby was a small town in Montana in 1923 who decided that they wanted to be bigger and prosperous. How could they do this quickly? Claim to be bidding for the biggest sporting event in the world at the time, the World's Heavyweight Championship.

The bid organisers had no real prospect of raising the $300,000 as well as paying for the facilities that would be required to feed and house an influx of maybe 100,000 people into a small town but they hoped that the resulting publicity from the failed bid would be enough to get the town some name recognition.

Little did they know that the bid would be accepted and they would actually be duty bound to find the money and organise the event in record time.

This is the story of big dreamers from a little town. It is the story of Jack Kearns who was the manager of Jack Dempsey. It is the story of people with good intentions making some terrible mistakes.

This is a good book, it reads well and the author has the ability to keep one entertained.
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Brian S Collier
5.0 out of 5 stars This is an amazing piece of History of the American West and of ...
Reviewed in the United States on August 9, 2016
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This is an amazing piece of History of the American West and of prize fighting in the West (Montana). This is a book that certainly could be utilized in courses in Sports History and History of the American West.
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Top reviews from other countries

Gary Abrams
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on April 23, 2015
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Great book, great service
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