DYNAMITE PETE 1938 - Age 76 (Photo courtesy Beth Welte, Louisville)
Pete standing outside his shack at the entry of his cave. (Photo courtesy of the Omaha World Herald)
Who is Dynamite Pete?
Dynamite Pete’s story is as old as Louisville itself. Born in 1862, just 4 years after after the first permanent settlement at Louisville was established. He was only 8 years old in 1870 when the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad were extended & Louisville was officially platted.
Dynamite Pete , whose real name was Levi Everett, is no doubt one of the most colorful characters in Louisville history. A few things to give you an idea of what made Dynamite Pete so memorable.
Dynamite Pete holds his prized possession, a Jacob Stainer violin passed down in his family for over 200 years. (Photos courtesy of the Omaha World Herald)
Pete was a slight man. For nearly most of his adult life he sported a beard & long hair. He wore overall. He did not care for shoes nor was he fond of shirts.
Pete’s prized possession was a Jacob Stainer violin that had been in his family for 200 years. He loved to play. A particular favorite was said to be “Turkey in the Straw”
Pete was a hermit by choice. He lived his all but the last 4 years of his adult life alone in shack built at the entrance of a cave along the Pawnee Creek. He said he was happier out there feeding the animals, singing & playing his violin.
Stories say that Pete would come into Louisville each August for the annual carnival. More specifically for the talent show where he would play “Turkey in the Straw” on his violin. One year, organizers asked him to stop chewing tobacco on stage and insisted that he put on a pair of shoes and a shirt. Pete was agreeable to ditching the tobacco but as for the shoes & shirt - Pete said,”HELL NO”, jumped off the stage & played his violin through the crowd as he departed. Every man has his limits!
Now you know where our “HILL NO!” 5K race got it’s name.
How did he get the nickname - Dynamite Pete?
Pete in the 1920’s (in his late 50’s to early 60’s)- Not sporting his trademark overalls but was working on the beginnings of his long hair & beard. (Photo courtesy of Dorothy Salberg, Main Street Cafe & the Omaha World Herald)
There are a couple of stories that claim to be where Levi Everett got the nickname “Dynamite Pete”. Neither of these tales give any idea as to where “Pete” came from but the “Dynamite” is pretty clear.
The first story is simple & based on Pete’s career choice.
Pete worked in the quarries his entire life as a “powder monkey”. His job was to carry explosives into the quarry and place the DYNAMITE for blasting the rock.
The next story is based on an evening of drinking & wagering in a bar.
Pete could walk on his hands & not just a few feet. Sometimes he would wager the railroad workers that passed through town that he could walk on his hands with a bottle of whiskey in his mouth! He would always win.
One night a group of these railroaders grew bored with Pete & decided to give him a hard time. Pete wasn’t having it - he pulled out a stick of DYNAMITE from his overalls, lit it and placed it on the table. Then said, “Which of you are man enough to stay and have a drink with me?” Everyone scattered, then Pete spit on his fingers, snuffed out the wick, finished off everyone’s drinks and grabbed a bottle for the road.
Pete came to Omaha to play his violin for Bobby Jeanne,a young girl that was set to be shot out of a cannon at AKSARBEN (Photo courtesy of the Omaha World Herald)
Dynamite Pete comes to the Big City & expands his audience…
Between 1938 & 1940, Dynamite Pete became somewhat of a celebrity in the big city (Omaha)& gets introduced to the whole country.
PETE PLAYS AT AKSARBEN - Pete’s first “celebrity”appearance in Omaha was in 1938, when he came to visit a young lady named Bobby Jeanne that was to be shot 60 feet out of a cannon at AKSARBEN. Pete played a few tunes including his famous “Turkey in the Straw”.
AT 80 YEARS OLD PETE THINKS HE MIGHT LIKE A WIFE - Pete’s performance sadly was followed by an illness & hospitalization. Pete had to leave his cave & his garden before it was even planted. He got to thinking during his recovery & he told The World-Herald, “I tell you, I didn’t know until then how necessary and comfortin’ a good woman might be.”
The World Herald decided to help Pete out, they published a story: ‘Dynamite Pete,’ a Hermit, Is in Town Seeking Wife. Myrtle Mason answered the call. Myrtle was a homeless widow nearly 40 years his junior, described as being“about the same caliber as Pete. Pete wrote back sending a photo & making sure Myrtle knew about his monthly pension & robust health at 80 years young. According to the World-Herald story, Myrtle’s reply was that “all Pete has to do is come and get her.”
Sadly, Pete & his bride to be would never be man & wife. Seems the law came & told Pete that his cave is not fit for a bride. It seems like Pete reluctantly agreed & wrote Myrtle a letter. A year later Pete still carried the article with her picture in his pocket. He told the World Herald, “A fellow up in Wisconsin cut in on me, started a correspondence with her, and I guess he married her”.
PETE’S BAD LUCK BRINGS ABOUT NATIONAL RECOGNITION - After word of Pete’s heartbreak was reported Pete caught the attention of a nationally-syndicated radio show, “We, the People.” The show featured human interest stories.
The show flew Pete out to New York in July 1940. He wore a suit & tie and even a new pair of shoes he bought the morning he left. The shoes made it but the tie didn’t last long and the coat was not far behind.
The show was broadcast locally on KOIL. Pete proudly referred to himself as the “last bona fide hermit living in a cave in the United States.”
“I’ll bet I’m happier down there in the woods than most any rich man,” Pete said. “... I don’t have to pay no rent nor no taxes. I don’t eat much and I’m better off for it. Yes sir, I think I do pretty good.”
Levi Everett aka Dynamite Pete without his signature long hair & a cleaning shaven beard (Photo courtesy of the Omaha World Herald)