How A Wrestling Match (Maybe) Decided Long Branch's Borders

The fate of Long Branch may have been settled in a wrestling match centuries ago between a white man and a Native American, according to documents the Long Branch Free Public Library found. Perhaps it's folklore, but it makes an interesting story.

According to the legend, five settlers attempted to acquire land from the local Native Americans. Language barriers and disputes over land measurement thwarted any deal.

To reach an agreement, one white man — John Slocum — and one Native American competed in a best-of-three wrestling match. If the Native American won, the settlers would leave. If the white man won, the settlers could have "as much land as a man could walk around in a day," according to documents.

Slocum won the match, which secured land from “Broadway north to Sea Bright and as far inland as Eatontown and Little Silver,” according to documents.

The story's veracity is inconclusive. But several books mention the story, including "Entertaining a Nation: The Career of Long Branch," by the Federal Writers' Project of the Works Progress Administration of the State of New Jersey, published in 1940.

For what it's worth, successful wrestlers still populate Long Branch. The Long Branch High School wrestling team holds a 15-2 record, according to NJ.com.

Janice Grace of the Long Branch Free Public Library's Local History room located the images and folklore documents. If you have more information on this tale or other interesting stories about Long Branch, the City of Long Branch Facebook page says they would like to know.

Photos provided by the Long Branch Free Public Library