Why is John Henry a folk hero exactly?

[Dark Jaguar]

I mean, I remember him being up there with Paul Bunyan and such as a kid, but does he really deserve that? His big claim to fame seems to be denying the progress of technology, "heroically" pounding in more train stakes than some steam engine (though I will note this, he's dead, and they've surely invented even faster means of doing that, negating his victory entirely). Plus, the "lesson" seems to be "technology is bad". I never really did get why he's such a big deal.

I'll say it. John Henry was a damned fool.