Has anyone heard of the Salmon River Caveman?

He lived in and fashioned "apartments" out of caves out along the Salmon River in Idaho. I'd be stoked for a chance to go out there and see his work. I have done a bit research after reading about him on Yahoo, but I did not catch mention of where specifically it is (other than along the Salmon River in Idaho). Living off the land in the wilderness would be so cool.... like that movie Into the Wild

 

His name was Richard Zimmerman. He died in April at 94 yrs. He escaped an abusive father then worked hard for a living and served in the army before he decided to live in a cave in Idaho...something a trustafarian like barefoot will probably never appreciate...

"Born in Indiana in 1916, Zimmerman grew up on farms in Indiana and Michigan, the son of a moonshiner with a mean streak. He rebelled against his domineering father and ran away at a young age, riding the rails west and learning the hobo songs he later would play on a battered guitar for guests at his caves.
He punched cows and worked as a farmhand, settling in Idaho's Lemhi Valley in 1937 and making ends meet by cutting firewood and herding sheep. In 1942, he joined the Army and served as a truck driver in the Pacific during World War II. When his service ended, he returned to Idaho and never left."

Read more: http://www.idahostatesman.com/2010/04/23/1164899/death-of-caveman-ends-an-era-in.html#ixzz0r3Tz2NX4
​

 

I lived just outside of Salmon (right next to the river) for 4 months with my in-laws, back in the mid 80's. Strange that I never heard about him from anyone there. But it was a small town anyway, and people didn't talk about much besides chopping wood, and how much ice was flowing in the river. lol

I remember the payphone in town was 10 cents, and there was only one street light there. And two dollars would get you stuffed at the diner. :coffee:


Edit: And oh yeah, I froze my ass off the whole time I was there! :freezing:

 

hmmm... maybe he was not popular in the area. thanks for the info though. i'm going to keep searching around for info until i get a better idea.

Cheers!

 

A few videos on YouTube about this dude;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KD53LVjXIHs"]YouTube- Dugout Dick

 

im gunna try this
dude rode on a freight to get there
i bet the commerciazl media fucked it all up trying to refurbish it
and then gave it to the media as an attraction for tourists sad
i hope not though