Bowleg Bill is best known as a larger-than-life cowboy atop a giant tuna in the tall tale tradition of other American demigods such as Pecos Bill and Paul Bunyan. The stories and songs associated with Bowleg Bill illustrate the themes of American masculinity and the frontier that are often explored by the American folklore tradition. Joseph Berger’s (1903–1971) 1938 publication of Bowleg Bill, the Sea-Going Cowboy, written under the pen name Jeremiah Digges, solidified the character as a staple in the American tradition of exceptional men and their outrageous adventures.
In the first half of the nineteenth century folklore saw a prolific development of tales featuring humor and exaggeration. The songs and stories told of Bowleg Bill encompassed both the role of the rancher and the role of the sailor. Thus, Bowleg Bill quickly became of interest to fans of both Pecos Bill and Captain Stormalong. With “10,000 jackrabbits, a hurricane, and a docile, lassoed whale,” Bowleg Bill’s story was reinvented and revived throughout the nineteenth century. Beginning in the 1950s, folklorists began to differentiate between legitimate folklore that developed naturally from oral sources and “fakelore,” which is commercially produced. According to Richard Dorson, who advocated the distinction, Bowleg Bill’s adventures exist within this “fakelore” tradition.
Accounts of Bowleg Bill encompass both the adventure and spirit of American life. Like many tall tales, those of Bowleg were often in disagreement over the exact origins of this rancher-turned-seafarer. Always crediting Wyoming as his true home, the tales of Bowleg express the man’s longing to be back to his ranch. It is said that all along the shores of Cape Cod, Bowleg Bill could be heard bellowing his lament about life at sea and his desire for freedom on the land. While noting his lack of enthusiasm for the sea, the tales of Bowleg always acknowledge his passion for trade and general disinterest in the way of the sailor. Unlike the heroes of other tall tales, such as Paul Bunyan and Pecos Bill, Bowleg’s appeal partially rested on his carelessness and misfortune. It is said that anyone familiar with nineteenth-century maritime life could sympathize with Bowleg Bill’s predicament. After all, it was not uncommon for a mariner to have gotten his start in the profession after being cajoled into a life at sea by some slick-handed men after having a few drinks too many.
Like the other men, Bowleg was approached and selected by the crimp because of the strength of his eight-foot four-inch build. So it goes that after he awakened from his drug-induced kidnapping, Bowleg found himself at sea for a voyage expected to last a minimum of three years. Bill’s interactions with the crew highlight the cultural differences between the western ranchers and eastern sailors, accent and dialect among the most noticeable. These differences got Bowleg Bill off to a shaky start with the crew. Upon awaking on the ship’s deck, Bowleg is attacked by a ship officer with a large metal hook. As the tussle escalates, Bowleg manages to defend himself against the entire crew: tossing the hook into the sea and insisting upon the men acknowledging that their manners are hardly what a man of the West expects of his fellow men. After displaying his sharpshooting skills, Bill earns the respect of his fellow crewmen. The legends laud Bowleg Bill for his handling of adversity on his first day at sea.
Although the stories of Bowleg Bill contain a considerable amount of overlap, the particular locations and endeavors varied from text to text. One such account of Bowleg’s time at sea documented his transition from ranch hand to “hoss-mackereling” expert. With a sea-lasso of sorts, Bowleg proceeds to net the biggest hoss-mackerel ever seen by the generations-old captains. According to legend, the near escape of this particular two-ton fish lends itself to the famous image of Bowleg Bill jumping ship to secure his catch, charming the creature with his strokes and sweet words. Benjamin Albert Botkin (1901–1975), in A Treasury of American Folklore (1944), proposes that the image of Bowleg and the whale-like fish is rooted in a legend well known to the Cape Cod region.
Stephanie Laszik
See also Captain Alfred Bulltop Stormalong; Fakelore; Paul Bunyan; Pecos Bill; Sea Shanties; Tall Tales
Further Reading
Botkin, B. A. 1944. A Treasury of American Folklore. New York: Crown.
Digges, Jeremiah. 1938. Bowleg Bill, the Sea-Going Cowboy. New York: Viking Press.
Dorson, Richard M. 1959. American Folklore. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Greenway, John. 1969. Folklore of the Great West. Palo Alto, CA: American West.