--- title: "What it was like to survive being scalped by native warriors" description: "No one knows just how the practice of scalping began, but for at least a century, removing the scalp of a fallen enemy as proof of valor." date: "2020-04-29" modified: "2023-01-12" authors: - name: "Blake Stilwell" job_title: "Editor-In-Chief, Air Force Veteran" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/blake/" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/mighty-history/scalped-by-native-warriors-survivor/" categories: - "History" --- # What it was like to survive being scalped by native warriors ![]() [No one knows for sure just how the practice of scalping came to be](), but for at least a century, removing the scalp of a fallen enemy as proof of valor and skill in combat has been synonymous with the native tribes of the Great Plains and beyond. They may not have started it, but if they didn't, they sure got good at it. And if they did, it had the desired effect on their enemies. One man could tell you exactly what it felt like. William Thompson wasn't a soldier or an outlaw. He was actually just a working-class, regular Joe. His job was fixing telegraph wires along the Union-Pacific Railroad in Nebraska. One day, he was just chugging along to his work when his train was attacked by a band of Cheyenne warriors. When the train derailed, the warriors set out to kill everyone and remove their scalps, and that's what they did. ![scalped]() *The extreme solution to dandruff.* **Warning: This is not for the faint of heart.** Except William Thompson didn't die. He lost his scalp, all the same, but he survived the gunshot wound and the scalping the Cheyenne inflicted on him. The practice of scalping means that Thompson's *skin* was removed by a blade from his forehead on back. When the man awoke, he could see his blood-splattered hair tuft sitting next to him. He did what any of us would do if we just lost part of our head: he picked it up and tried to put it back on. That, of course, did not work. So, he took it back to Omaha, the nearest city and enlisted the help of an actual surgeon. But even a pair of trained hands couldn't put William Thompson back together again. When that didn't work, Thompson was probably dismayed at the idea of his new forced hairstyle, but he made the best of it, putting it on display to earn a bit of money. ![thompson scalping survivor]() *Thompson, post-scalping.* After it stopped being the lucrative cash cow we all know it would certainly have been, Thompson sent it back to Omaha, to the doctor who he originally asked to reattach it. The doctor donated it to the local library, where it still lives to this day. Although it's not on permanent display, it is sometimes brought out for exhibition. Maybe if you ask nicely, they'll let you see it. [Check out the scalp here](). **Read more on WATM:** [**The best military history books of 2022**]() [**Ukraine is getting these 3 armored fighting vehicles from the US, France and Germany**]() [**3 up-and-coming outdoor therapy nonprofits for veterans**]() [**Interview with Glen Powell, ‘Devotion’ actor and producer**]() ## Author Blake Stilwell is We Are The Mighty's Editor-in-Chief, covering military news, entertainment, and history, along with veteran education, employment and entrepreneurship. He is a former U.S. Air Force combat cameraman with degrees in Graphic Design, Television and Film, International Relations, Public Relations, Business Management and Middle Eastern Affairs. After leaving the military, he began working in film and television production in New York and Los Angeles, work that included ABC News, NBC Olympics, and HBO Sports. He then spent two years in Washington with White House Communications, before joining the Near East Foundation. At NEF he served as an International Development Fellow, then Communications Officer, and finally, Media Officer for the Middle East and Africa. Based in the Palestinian Territory, he coordinated strategic communications between eight country offices, international media, and government and NGO partners. He began a career focused on writing and editing in 2015 with We Are The Mighty. He left in 2019 for Military.com, but returned as Editor-in-Chief in 2025. Blake’s work has been seen on CBS News, Fox News, CBC, The Chicago Tribune, Task & Purpose, Military Times, Recoil, Skillset, American History, and was shockingly even used in a Supreme Court argument. He is an avid traveler and small business owner in Ohio, where he spends most of his energy fixing up a very old house. ### Author social links [Facebook]() [Twitter]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()