America's First Stuntman - Sam Patch the Jersey Jumper
Sam Patch was the first American stuntman.
Sam’s story takes place later than most of the Founders I cover, during the presidency of John Quincy Adams, but he’s a fascinating character that reflects on early American entertainment so we’ll let it slide.
“Some things can be done as well as others.”
-Sam Patch
Sam Patch
Sam Patch grew up in Rhode Island, working as a child laborer in a mill.
It was here that Patch first began jumping into the river with his friends.
By the time he turned 20, Patch had relocated to New Jersey where he would turn his youthful risk taking into a full time career.
Patch the Jersey Jumper
In 1827, Sam Patch jumped off Passaic Falls.
This 80 foot ‘leap’ impressed enough people that he repeated the feat.
Patch began advertising his cliff diving stunts, attracting large crowds and collecting donations.
Realizing he had a valuable form of entertainment in his mitts, Samuel decided to go big.
By the fall of 1829, ‘Patch the Jersey Jumper’ (who had already leaped from 100 feet), decided to go for the big one...Niagara Falls.
Niagara Falls
Sam jumped from a ledge on Niagara Falls and disappeared under the water. A boat circled and the crowd waited patiently but they did not see him emerge.
Suddenly, Patch walked up behind the audience to see what they were looking for.
He had swam downriver before coming afloat.
The next week, he did it again.
Rochester
Sam decided it was time to take his show on the road.
He acquired a bear cub to improve the show and went on to Rochester.
Patch’s next target were the High Falls of the Genesee River.
First, Sam dropped the bear cub off the 100 foot cliff (animal cruelty wasn’t a thing back then). Once the animal swam to land, Patch made the jump himself.
Last Leap
While the High Falls jump was executed successfully, it did not raise the finances Patch had hoped.
Sam decided to do the jump again, this time with a 25 foot ledge adding to the distance and advertising it as his ‘last leap’. (Though he supposedly meant the last of the season.)
In front of 8,000 spectators, Patch jumped.
This time, instead of falling into the water straight as a pencil, Sam seems to have lost his balance and turned to the side, hitting the liquid at an angle.
He never resurfaced.
Legend
Patch’s body was found downriver several months later, after the ice thawed.
His exploits had made him famous throughout the nation, with even the likes of President Andrew Jackson naming his horse Sam Patch.
Patch’s famous catchphrase was, for a long time, common throughout the young United States…”Some things can be done as well as others.”
Want to read about another Early American Entertainer?
May I introduce the man who entertained George Washington:
John Bill Ricketts - The Circus Comes to Town
Want to learn the FULL STORY OF SAM PATCH?
I suggest ‘The Famous Jumper’ which goes into depth determining what is fact and what has become legend.
Pick up a copy through the Amazon affiliate link below (you’ll support this site, but don’t worry, Amazon pays me while your price stays the same).
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