FRANK "ROCKY" FIEGEL Frank “Rocky" – the real Popeye
 

Rocky was a denizen of Chester, Illinois and could be considered a prototype for all those anonymous sailors who gave their lives to make Chicago the maritime hub of the nation towards the end of the 1800’s.

 

A noted devotee of taverns and celebrated contender in local bar fights, Rocky was also known to be kind to children. The picture above is evidence, if any is needed, that Rocky was the “real” Popeye. But the clincher is that the characters Popeye and Olive Oyl and the rest were created by Elzie Segal, a resident of Chester, in 1929. Popeye’s most famous statement “I yam what I yam!” might be considered a defining characteristic of sailors and the Midwest in general.

 

Chester is a somewhat distant suburb of Chicago, based in Northwestern Illinois not far from the Mississippi. The sailors who made Chicago came from many such places in the upper Midwest. Based on our own experience in certain Chicago taverns, Rocky could be considered typical of some Chicago sailors even to this day.