Limbert's flamboyant personality and showmanship are evident from his own newspaper clipping collection. Local papers quoted him on issues related to taxidermy as early as the 1910's. On several occasions, he took top billing at parties at the Boise Natatorium with his "Leap for Life"--a jump from the rafters of the covered water arena with his arms and hands tied. One youth attempted to top Limbert's feat by jumping after being doused with gasoline and set afire, however, his injuries prohibited a return engagement.

Limbert's fame as a prominent Idahoan was guaranteed when he successfully designed and built the state's award-winning 1915 Exhibit in the Palace of Agriculture at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco. The experience was a turning point in Limbert's career. Historian Casner wrote: "As exhibit curator, Limbert lectured fairgoers on a variety of subjects concerning Idaho. Learning to entertain audiences was an important development in his life. It must have occurred to him that the inhabitants of an increasingly industrialized nation craved diversions from the complexities of urban life."

In second decade of the 20^th century, Limbert entertained local clubs with imitations of Idaho birdcalls and descriptions of petroglyphs he discovered along the Snake River. His photographic skills were put to the test at 1920's Movie Ball, Broadway, and Hollywood dances where local citizens donned their best and danced while being filmed. The showing of local Hollywood Ball dance films provided great entertainment.

His explorations of Idaho's rugged volcanic area and promotion of it as the national treasure now called the Craters of the Moon rocketed him to national prominence. He broke into the national ranks in the 1920's as a touring Izaac Walton League speaker. During the late 20's and early 30's, he often spoke two or three times a day-- a boy's club in the morning, the Kiwanis or other men's group for lunch, radio talks demonstrating birdcalls in the afternoon, and a featured speech in the evening at a convention, movie house, club, or civic auditorium. At the New Jersey Fish and Game Conservation League 1932 Annual Dinner, "The Man From the Sawtooths" followed a State Senator, State Commissioner, and other New York prominent citizens (dinner consisted of Supreme of Grapefruit, Puree Mongole, Roast Sirloin of Wainwright Buffalo, string beans, risollee potatoes, hearts of lettuce with french dressing, assorted cakes, and a demi tasse).

Limbert died of a stroke in 1933 on his way to his critically ill mother's bedside after a speaking tour on the East Coast. His obituary in the Idaho Advertiser concluded: "Mr. Limbert was a genuine westerner. He was an authority on wild life and did a great deal to bring to the attention of countless thousands of easterners, the scenic attractions of the west. He was in the prime of life and in he death Idaho and the west, loses one of their most loyal friends."

Limbert's spirit and irascible style live on through a one-man impersonation show presented by Clark Hegler

.

    Limbert's National Speaking Tour        
    Notes and Sources