Letter from William Wingate Sewall to Samuel T. Sewall
Subject(s): Arrest, Boats and boating, Criminals, Dow, Wilmot S. (Wilmot Sewall), 1854-1891, Finnegan, Michael, North Dakota--Dickinson, North Dakota--Mandan, North Dakota--Medora, Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919, Theft, United States--Little Missouri River
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William Wingate Sewall describes the pursuit and capture of three thieves that stole a boat from Theodore Roosevelt. The boat, the best one on the Little Missouri River, had been purchased by Roosevelt in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and it was very useful. Sewall and Wilmot Dow built a new boat and they headed after the thieves a few days after the boat went missing. The thieves were captured without violence and Roosevelt accompanied them to Dickinson, Dakota Territory, for trial. Sewall and Dow continued down the river with the boats to Mandan, Dakota Territory, and then took a train back to Medora, Dakota Territory.
Collection
State Historical Society of North Dakota
Creation Date
1886-04-21
Creator(s)
Sewall, William Wingate, 1845-1930
Recipient
Language
English
Period
Dakota Rancher (June 1884-1886)
Page Count
18
Production Method
Record Type
Multi-image
Resource Type
Rights
For permissions, please contact histsoc@nd.gov.
Citation
Cite this Record
Chicago:
Letter from William Wingate Sewall to Samuel T. Sewall. [April 21, 1886]. State Historical Society of North Dakota.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o292528. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Sewall, William Wingate, 1845-1930. Letter from William Wingate Sewall to Samuel T. Sewall. [21 Apr. 1886]. Multi-image.
State Historical Society of North Dakota. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. January 22, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o292528.
APA:
Sewall, William Wingate, 1845-1930., [1886, April 21]. Letter from William Wingate Sewall to Samuel T. Sewall.
State Historical Society of North Dakota. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o292528.
Cite this Collection
Chicago:
State Historical Society of North Dakota. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/state-historical-society-of-north-dakota. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
State Historical Society of North Dakota. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. January 22, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/state-historical-society-of-north-dakota.
APA:
State Historical Society of North Dakota. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/state-historical-society-of-north-dakota.
