Mike Fink facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mike Fink
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An early drawing of Mike Fink, on a keelboat, with rifle in hand, ready to take on anyone, who challenged him, to a shooting match
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| Born | c. 1770–1780 |
| Died | c. 1823 (aged 43–53) |
| Other names | Miche Phinck, Bangall, The Snapping Turtle |
| Occupation | scout, hunter, keelboatman, riverman |
| Known for | his near folklorish, tales and legends, as the Ohio and Mississippi keelboat riverman, who could outshoot, outfight, and outdrink all challengers |
Mike Fink (also spelled Miche Phinck) was a famous and strong river boatman. He was known for his amazing skills and wild adventures. People called him the "king of the keelboaters." He was a real person, but many exciting stories about him became popular legends.
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Mike Fink's Early Life
Mike Fink was born around 1770 or 1780 at Fort Pitt. This place is now Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. When he was a teenager, he worked as a scout, helping people explore the land. Even then, he was an amazing shot with a rifle. He was so good that people called him "Bangall" because he could hit anything he aimed at.
After the local conflicts ended in the early 1790s, Mike Fink did not want to become a farmer. Instead, he started working on the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. He became a "keelboatman," moving goods and people on large boats. This job was very tough and needed a lot of strength. He soon got another nickname: "the snapping turtle."
Mike Fink became well-known for his strength and his playful, sometimes rough, nature. He was 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighed 180 pounds. His muscles were very strong from pushing keelboats upstream. People said he could shoot the tail off a pig from 90 paces away. Mike Fink himself often boasted that he could "out-run, out-hop, out-jump, throw-down, drag out, and lick any man in the country."
He and his friends sometimes played dangerous games with their shooting skills. They would shoot small targets from each other's heads. Other stories say he could shoot very precisely, like taking a small piece off someone's clothing without hurting them.
Mike Fink's Later Adventures
Some people think there might have been two different men named Mike Fink. One Mike Fink joined a group of explorers called "Ashley's Hundred." This group built Fort Henry. If this was the same Mike Fink born at Fort Pitt, he would have been over 50 years old. People like Hugh Glass, who was in his early 40s, were called "Old Hugh." But no one mentioned Mike Fink being old in the journals. This makes some people think a younger Mike Fink joined the expedition.
Davy Crockett supposedly described Mike Fink as "half horse and half alligator." Mike Fink wore a red feather in his cap. This feather showed that he had beaten every strong man along the river.
A man named Captain John Fink, who was a relative of Mike Fink, was interviewed in the early 1800s. He said that Mike Fink left the area around 1815. Mike Fink felt the country was becoming "too civilized" for him. He wanted to go to the wilder West.
Mike Fink was very strict about how his boat business was run. He expected everyone to do their fair share of work. If someone was lazy, they would be in trouble.
If it was the same Mike Fink who joined Ashley's Hundred, he died in the Rocky Mountains in 1823. Some stories say he died during a disagreement with a friend. One story says he accidentally shot his friend, Carpenter. Then, another friend named Talbot shot Fink in return.
Mike Fink in Stories and Movies
Mike Fink's adventures were often told in American songs and stories before the Civil War. He first appeared in a play in 1821. In these early stories, he was often shown as a loud and boastful person. He also appeared in stories about Davy Crockett. However, Mike Fink usually lacked Crockett's kinder qualities.
Over time, Mike Fink was shown more as a bully who eventually got what he deserved. After the Civil War, people were less interested in violent folk heroes. In the early 1900s, some people tried to make him popular again. A folklorist named Colonel Henry W. Shoemaker collected Mike Fink's tales. He saw Fink as a local hero like Davy Crockett, but this effort did not last.
In 1955, Mike Fink appeared in two episodes of the Davy Crockett miniseries on ABC. Actor Jeff York played Mike Fink, and Fess Parker played Davy Crockett. These episodes were later made into a movie called Davy Crockett and the River Pirates in 1956. Disney's Mike Fink was still boastful but was mostly played for laughs. He was a funny character who was often outsmarted by Crockett.
Keel boats named "Mike Fink Keel Boats" used to operate at Disneyland and Magic Kingdom. They were retired in the late 1990s.
In 1958, Zachary Ball, an author who wrote adventure stories for boys, wrote a book called Young Mike Fink. In this book, Mike Fink is a good-natured and helpful character, even though he can be a bit wild.
Mike Fink also appears in Eudora Welty's story The Robber Bridegroom.
In Orson Scott Card's book series The Tales of Alvin Maker, an alternate version of Mike Fink appears. In these books, he is very strong and cannot be hurt. This makes him a bit of a bully because he doesn't understand pain. Later, he learns from Alvin and changes his ways.
Forrest Tucker played Mike Fink in the 1977 TV movie The Incredible Rocky Mountain Race. In this movie, Mike Fink has a rivalry with Mark Twain. However, the real Mark Twain was born after Mike Fink died.
In 1998, children's author Steven Kellogg wrote a book called Mike Fink: A Tall Tale. This book tells tall tales about Fink and shows his positive side with colorful pictures.
Mike Fink is also a character in the 2007 young-adult novel Mississippi Jack by Louis A. Meyer. He is shown as a loud, hairy man who loves to boast. He is outsmarted by the main character in the book.
There was a popular riverboat restaurant called Mike Fink's in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Covington, Kentucky, for over 40 years. It closed in 2008.
Mike Fink also appears as an enemy in the game Fate/Grand Order.
Some tall tales mention that Mike Fink had a daughter named Sal Fink. She was said to be just as daring as her father and known for her loud calls.
Images for kids
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An early drawing of Mike Fink, on a keelboat, with rifle in hand, ready to take on anyone, who challenged him, to a shooting match
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Mike Fink's Great Shot, a sketch by Thomas Bangs Thorpe, 1854
