The Legend Of Big Jim

The world's largest hog, who carried the name Big Jim, resided in the small community of Dana, North Carolina in the late 1930's and early 1940's. My Great Grandfather, Henry Clinton Gibbs, owned Big Jim from the time he bought him from a neighbor when he was three or four years old until Big Jim's death in 1944. The hog was a China-Poland breed of hog and was of average size until he reached about five years old. His size and weight then reached proportions never seen before in a domestic breed of hog. The hog grew to weigh 2,415 pounds, was 10' 8" long from the tip of his nose to the root of his tail, he was 8'10" around his body, and was 4'8" tall up to his shoulder. Big Jim's tusks were 14 inches long. All of these measurements were certified by the Kentucky Department of Weights and Measurements. I have seen the plaque and a family member is in possession of it.

My Father can remember my Great Grandfather hoisting him up on Big Jim's back when he was a small child and letting him ride him around. My Great Grandfather was talked into taking him into downtown Hendersonville to show him off one Saturday afternoon by a neighbor and Big Jim's career took off after that. My Great Grandfather took him on various County Fair circuits throughout the United States and I remember my father telling me that my Great Grandfather showed Big Jim in 43 of the 48 states before the outbreak of WW II. He charged 10 cents a piece to see him and if you guessed his weight, you won a prize.

One time when they were traveling with the J.F. Sparks Carnival, 8,600 people paid to see Big Jim in Jasper, Alabama in a weeks time. I saw a newspaper article written by a woman in Jasper, Alabama many years after this and this article was devoted to Big Jim, because even as a little girl, the enormous size of this hog made a lasting impression on her.

Big Jim was retired in 1942 because of the start of World War II and the rations that were placed on gasoline and tires and anything else that could be used in the war effort. Big Jim died in 1944 at the age of 15. A hog back then dying of old age was a story in itself but this hog more than paid for his upkeep. My family's claim to fame is the world's largest hog and it may be a good reason as to why I have always had a fondness for bacon. The whole story about the legend of Big Jim can be seen in Volume I of the From The Banks Of The Oklawaha by Frank L. FitzSimons.