Meet “The Ghost And The Darkness!”
They may not look it, but these are two of the most ravenous Lions in history!
When I lived in Chicago, we’d go to see them – what a fascinating story!
The two Lions are on display at Chicago’s Field Museum of Natural History.
It’s easy to find The Field Museum, thanks to all of the signs:
The main entryway inside the building is stuffed with lots of cool stuff, like dinosaurs!
The Tsavo Killers!
I was fascinated to see this exhibit: two lions that may not seem that big, but boy, did they terrorize railroad workers!
Their names were “The Ghost” and “The Darkness,” and 119 years ago, these two massive, maneless, man-eating lions hunted railway workers in the Tsavo region of Kenya. During a nine-month period in 1898, the lions killed at least 35 people and as many as 135, according to different accounts.
Tucked within an arresting collection of taxidermied mammals of Africa in the Rice Gallery, the man-eating lions of Tsavo are two of the Field Museum’s most famous residents—and also the most infamous.
The 1996 film “The Ghost And The Darkness” told the story of the Hunters who tracked these kilelrs down. Michael Douglas and Val Kilmer starred, and it a pretty good film!
Check out the trailer:
It’s a well done thriller with a great cast…
Of course, after leaving the Museum, it’s just a few steps to this incredible view of Lake Michigan and downtown Chicago:
There are so many things to see in Chicago, like the great “Riverwalk”, which takes you from Lake Michigan west along the Chicago River – right through Chicago’s downtown area:
The walk curls around “the loop” to the south, and there are so many bridges across…here’s a look:
post on you tube boats on Chicago river
I love this city: the people, the foo, and all of the different sights to see:
If you click on my story here, you will see some of my favorite photos I took there!
There was always something unusual to see – like this wild crane repair 25 stories high! Click to see that!
Here’s the whole story of this high rise adventure!
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Categories: Action Films, Africa, Art, Books / Media, chicago, Cult Movies, Great Films, Memoirs, Movies, nature, Pop Culture, Travel, Travel Adventures, Travel Memoir
johnrieber 
Wow, great story! Adding the Field Museum to the top of my Chicago list. Wild that those infamous lions wound up in Chicago. Thanks for sharing!
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Does are the real lions, right? You are right, they don’t look that big.
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Yes, those are the Lions and they don’t look the big but apparently were very speedy and powerful!
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Can you imagine being a railway worker in Kenya back then? How scary! No wonder their story became a movie. This must be a very popular exhibit in Chicago. I think the coolest Chicago event is turning the Chicago River green on St. Patrick’s Day. Boston is green with envy. 🙂
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Strangely Jenny, I went by it several times and it didn’t seem as popular…I honestly don’t know if people really knew the story even with the information there…but it’s great that it exists to be sure! Thanks for reading and commenting!
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It is great, John. Maybe you were just there on an ‘off’ day. Best to you.
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Thanks for sharing. I had never heard this story before.
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The movie is pretty good too!
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My comment didn’t appear, so here it is again. (Shorter)
I have seen that film, and it is as good as you say. When I was staying at the Kilimanjaro safai Lodge in 1983, one of the female housekeeping workers was killed by lions on her way home. All they found was one leg, a shoulder bag, and a distinctive shoe that identified her. They told us about it as a warning not to leave the grounds of the hotel.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Thanks for sharing that Pete! I’m sure that warning worked!
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I was born in Chicago, moved then I was two and it’s my favorite big city in the states. I love that museum
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I lived there 5 years while my wife worked there and loved it as well!
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That looks like a very interesting museum, much like our Natural History Museum I think.
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It’s a great museum!
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Hi John, it is so interesting to read about these two lionesses. Lions don’t usually attack humans.
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A fascinating true story Robbie and a well done movie as well…cool to see them in a museum in Chicago!
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