Life expectancy

PriusCamper · Sep 13, 2025 at 4:41 PM

bwilson4web said: ↑

One of my family members at age 98 in Oklahoma:

Frank died April 8, 1958 when I was 8 years old. At 75, I'm and shooting for 100 years.

History Haven
July 16 ·
In this powerful 1948 photograph taken at Cowboy Hill, Frank “Pistol Pete” Eaton—98 years old and still standing strong—poses beside his eldest daughter. His face, etched with nearly a century of sun, dust, and grit, tells the story of a life fully lived, while his posture remains steady, and his presence unyielding. Dressed in his signature wide-brimmed hat and frontier attire, Eaton seems almost out of place in the postwar world, a living relic of the Old West whose legacy is woven into the fabric of American history. This isn't just a family snapshot; it’s a quiet moment where the past, embodied in a father’s enduring spirit, meets the present through the gaze of his daughter.

Frank Eaton’s life reads like a classic frontier tale. At just eight years old, he witnessed the murder of his father at the hands of former Confederate guerrillas, and from that moment, he made a solemn vow to avenge the death. By 15, his speed with a six-shooter had already earned him the nickname "Pistol Pete" from U.S. Marshals. Over the years, he tracked down those responsible, proving himself not only as an expert marksman but as a man of unshakable resolve. He didn’t boast, he didn’t bluff—he simply delivered on his promises, with a steady hand and an unwavering sense of justice.

Yet Frank Eaton’s legacy is about more than vengeance and gunfire. After his days as a gunfighter, he worked as a blacksmith, raised a family, and eventually became a storyteller, sharing his experiences of the frontier with future generations. His larger-than-life persona even inspired the Oklahoma State University mascot, cementing his place in modern-day culture. In this photograph, we don’t just see a legendary figure from the past; we see a father, an elder, and a man who lived long enough to witness the transformation of the Wild West into a new era. It's a portrait of endurance, loyalty, and the long shadow of justice carried with quiet dignity into the twilight of his years.

Bob Wilson
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He's standing up way too straight and the skin around his eyes is way too young for someone nearing 100... I bet he's in his late 50's or early 60's in this photo and no doubt he made up a lot of impossible stories that he told his family.

bwilson4web · Sep 13, 2025 at 5:14 PM

ChapmanF said: ↑

I'm still perplexed, . . . Was he 108 when he died?
Click to expand...

Ask WikiPedia as I've only been reposting from Mr. Google and my cousin's Facebook page.

Bob Wilson

Hayslayer · Sep 13, 2025 at 8:58 PM

Frank Eaton - Wikipedia

So the answer to my question is YES, the media sucked, even in the 1950's. Fact checking is hard, math is hard, and even just having a good editor is apparently super difficult.

Life expectancy

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Life expectancy

PriusCamper Senior Member

bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

Hayslayer Member