Death of "Caveman" ends an era in Idaho

IdahoStatesman.com ^ | 23 April 2010 | Tim Woodward

[HEM]

In a few years people like this guy will be required to earn enough money to buy into Obamacare.

[maine-iac7]

In a few years people like this guy will be required to earn enough money to buy into Obamacare.

Au contraire...He'd be given a pill ;o)

[ARepublicanForAllReasons]

Richard Zimmerman, known to all as Dugout Dick, succumbs at 94

Just shows how dangerous it is to live without the material blessings of civilization and modern medicine. Obamacare would have enabled him to live a full life. (/sarc)

[Mr. Lucky]

Richard Zimmerman had been in declining health when he died.

Does the reporter think we wouldn't have figured that out on our own?

[maine-iac7]

LOL

BTW - been meaning for some time to tell you that I really like your ID name - great take-off

[DuncanWaring]

Ping.

[maine-iac7]

Does the reporter think we wouldn't have figured that out on our own?

LOL

However, given to-days level of independent thinking - he probably thought it prudent.

Other than that, I was thinking he did a much better job than what we usually read today.

[Hillbillary]

The Good Life. One of my favorites too.

[ASA Vet]

You’d have to own the property to do so

No one owns their property anymore. Try not paying the governments property rental tax and see what happens.

[1066AD]

absolutely self-sufficient. He didn't work for anybody. He worked for himself

Governments hate that.

[stickandrudder]

Read the biography of Sylvan Hart, “Last of the Mountain Men” by Harold Peterson, years ago. Interesting group of people. Fascinating lifestyle, if you could do it. We will find out after a few more years of what is going on!

[Uncle Miltie]

[Uncle Miltie]

[maine-iac7]

THANK you! I may just paint him

[OldGoatCPO]

Back in the seventies, one of these guys wrote a book or allowed a writer to live with him, I do not recall. I do recall it being a fantastic book, it was passed around the barracks. I really enjoyed it. In 79 during the big Midwest snow storm, I was stuck in the St Louis Greyhound Station and there he was. This guy was an engineer I believe, made his own guns, he also spoke at a few universities. He was a man of few words, tried to talk to him, he did not say much. Cannot remember the title of the book, wish I could I liked to get a copy.

[boop]

More power to this guy, but living alone, no telephone, no TV, no internet, I don’t see any books. What did he DO all day? I’d be bored stiff.

[maine-iac7]

here’s one

http://www.amazon.com/Last-Mountain-Men-Harold-Peterson/dp/0960356665/ref=pd_sim_b_3#noop

[panaxanax]

http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?an=peterson&sts=t&tn=the+last+of+the+mountain+men&x=103&y=22

[ansel12]

Are you female?

[maine-iac7]

I have a friend in California - a real Mountain man that homesteads way back in a wilderness area WITH his wife and kids.

A sculptor, using mainly California serpentine, he found a mountainside of it way off the beaten track and just went in and built a really great house - heated with a iron stove made from an ocean buoy - that burns huge logs.

To visit him requires going as far as you can with a 4-wheel drive then hiking 4 hours over mountain trails and streams to a meadow where he picks you up in an 8-wheel drive Italian truck and off you go to again.

They grow their own food, of course. He makes his own carving tools.

With his shoulder length blond hair, his muscled frame resulting from his rugged lifestyle - particularly carving out and hauling great chunks of stone back to his place - he looks like the Hollywood idea of a Mountain Man.

He kept losing his dogs to mountain lions - until he got a Rhodesian Ridgeback. No more problems.

He did, however, become a very successful sculptor - so was no longer financially imperiled. It was rather strange to go to an opening of one of his shows, like in Los Angeles, and see him in that setting - knowing where and how he lived.