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Forget Paul Bunyan. The real live story legend was African American, John William Henry, The Steel driving man.
John Henry is an African American folk hero. He is said to have worked as a "steel-driving man"—a man tasked with hammering a steel drill into rock to make holes for explosives to blast the rock in constructing a railroad tunnel. According to legend, John Henry's prowess as a steel-driver was measured in a race against a steam-powered hammer, a race that he won only to die in victory with hammer in hand as his heart gave out from stress. The story of John Henry is told in a classic folk song, which exists in many versions, and has been the subject of numerous stories, plays, books, and novels.[1][2] Various locations, including Big Bend Tunnel in West Virginia, Lewis Tunnel in Virginia, and Coosa Mountain Tunnel in Alabama, have been suggested as the site of the contest.
Just some of the many artists with written songs about John Henry.
Songs featuring the story of John Henry have been recorded by many blues, folk, and rock musicians of different ethnic backgrounds. Many notable musicians have recorded John Henry ballads, including Burl Ives, Bill Monroe, Johnny Cash,[16] Drive-By Truckers,[17] Joe Bonamassa,[12] Furry Lewis,[2] Big Bill Broonzy,[2] Pink Anderson,[12] Fiddlin' John Carson,[12] Uncle Dave Macon,[12] J. E. Mainer,[12] Leon Bibb,[12] Lead Belly,[12] Woody Guthrie,[12] Paul Robeson,[15] Pete Seeger,[15] Van Morrison,[15] Bruce Springsteen,[15] Gillian Welch,[15] Cuff the Duke,[15] Ramblin' Jack Elliott,[12] Jerry Reed,[12] Jerry Lee Lewis.,[12] Merle Travis,[18][19] Harry Belafonte,[20] Mississippi John Hurt (as "Spike Driver Blues"),[21] Lonnie Donegan,[22] Jack Warshaw,[23] Jason Molina,[24] Trail West,[25] John Fahey [26] and Steve Earle.
Real life account of John Henry.
Henry's death as "The Big Bend Tunnel on the C. & O." Johnson visited the area around 1929 and found several men who said that they were boys of 12 or 14 when the tunnel was begun and that they could remember seeing John Henry, a large, powerful man. Although most of these men had heard of but not seen the famous contest between John Henry and the steam drill, Johnson ultimately was able to find a man who said he had seen it.
Many albino writers say John Henry was a prisoner worker, but many Negroes state that the worker were promised 50 acres of land if they completed the railroad on time. It seems onc again albinos probably made promises they didn't keep and invented the prison cover up story.
This man, known as Neal Miller, told me in plain words how he had come to the tunnel with his father at 17, how he carried water and drills for the steel drivers, how he saw John Henry every day, and, finally, all about the contest between John Henry and the steam drill. "When the agent for the steam drill company brought the drill here," said Mr. Miller, "John Henry wanted to drive against it. He took a lot of pride in his work and he hated to see a machine take the work of men like him.
"Well, they decided to hold a test to get an idea of how practical the steam drill was. The test went on all day and part of the next day. "John Henry won. He wouldn't rest enough, and he overdid. He took sick and died soon after that." Mr. Miller described the steam drill in detail. I made a sketch of it and later when I looked up pictures of the early steam drills, I found his description correct. I asked people about Mr. Miller's reputation, and they all said, "If Neal Miller said anything happened, it happened."[3]
The tale of John Henry has been used as a symbol in many cultural movements, including labor movements[13] and the Civil Rights Movement.[14]
“ John Henry is a symbol of physical strength and endurance, of exploited labor, of the dignity of a human being against the degradations of the machine age, and of racial pride and solidarity. During World War II his image was used in U.S. government propaganda as a symbol of social tolerance and diversity.[15]
So, the primary propaganda images racist America used against the Nazis during WW-II were, African American Heavyweight champion Joe Louis, and an African American exploited by Post civil war US system, John Henry.
Ironically, it's said that during WW-II, John Henry's body was used to model Marvel comic's, Captain America.
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