Eustace Conway is nature’s man. The American personality is known for appearing on the History Channel show Mountain Men. At a very young age, Conway left his home and started exploring the nature and is still continuing to do so.
Conway is the owner of Turtle Island Preserve in Boone, North Carolina. Elizabeth Gilbert’s The Last American Man is based on Conway. Eustace’s unique way of living his life has also made him the subject of a number of T.V. shows.
Early Life
Eustace Conway was born to Eustace Robinson Conway III and Karen Conway on 15 September 1961 in Columbia, South Carolina, United States and named Eustace Robinson Conway IV. Eustace has three siblings, Walton Conway, Judson Conway and Martha Conway.
Conway attended the Appalachian State University and earned a Bachelor’s degree in English and Anthropology from there.
Career
Conway left his home at the age of only 17 years and went on to live in a tipi in the forest.
Conway has trekked the entire Appalachian Trail, and he claims that he set a record for traveling from Atlantic to Pacific on horseback.
However, the Los Angeles and Times New York Times ate of opinion that the record for crossing the United States on horseback was set by Bud and Temple Abernathy. The book named Bud & Me also has the same thing to say.
According to all three of these, the journey was made in almost 62 days by Bud and Temple. They started the journey from New York City and ended in San Francisco. They were only 11 and 7 years old at the time.
Eustace journey across the country was reported on a weekly radio show called ‘This American Life’ in the episode ‘Adventured in the Simple Life.’ It was aired on September 11, 1998.
The radio show used some recordings done by Conley and his party on a handheld recorder.
Eustace in 1987, achieved his lifelong dream by founding the environmental education center ‘Turtle Island Preserve.’ It is set on a 1000 acre land near Boon, North Carolina.
Conway’s life was documented and turned into a film, Full Circle: A Life Story of Eustace Conway in 2003. The documentary was directed by Jack Bibbo.Conway appeared in another documentary, Reconvergence in 2012 and it was directed by Edward Tyndall.
Conway was first seen in Mountain Men, a reality T.V. series on History Channel in 2012. This show was Conway’s claim to fame. Mountain Men focuses on how Conway survives in the forest. It covers Conway performing his daily chores, preparing for his food and fighting against all the odds. The show is currently in its sixth season.
Conway was forced to close down public admission to Turtle Island in November 2012 because of some building code violations. Conway reached a resolution with North Carolina Building Code Council in mid-2012, but soon he was detained for trespassing on a neighbor’s property.
For some time there was a dispute over property border of Turtle Island. The state officials noticed all tiff between Conway and the North Carolina Building Code Council. The North Carolina General Assembly decided to step in to resolve the matter.
The North Carolina General Assembly proposed that an exemption from building code requirements should be given to primitive structures. The state Senate and House voted to pass H774 unanimously, and the bill was signed on 12 June 2013, by Governor Pat McCrory into law. This whole story was featured on Fox News Special, War on Little Guy and it was hosted by John Stossel.
The famous author Elizabeth Gilbert met Conway through his brother Judson Conway with whom Gilbert had friendly connections.After meeting Conway, Elizabeth was thoroughly impressed by his life story and decided to pen it down in a book which was named ‘The Last American Man.’ The book was a success, and it was also nominated for two awards.
Personal Life
Conway never got married and therefore and no family. He has dedicated his life to nature and found solace in the lap of nature only.
Conway’s net worth of $200 thousand dollars and all this money came mainly from his appearance in Mountain Men and also from Turtle Island.
Quick Summary
Full Name: Eustace Robinson Conway IV
Date of Birth: 15 September 1961
Birth Place: Columbia, South Carolina, U.S.A.
Age: 56 years
Profession: Naturalist
Height: NA
Weight: NA
Net Worth: $200 thousand dollars
