Where the president was last seen
Subject(s): Hunting, Louisiana, Reporters and reporting, Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919
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Newspaper reporters, photographers, and cartoonists gather outside a forest with several signs: “Where the president was last seen,” “To the canebrakes,” and “Posted.”
Comments and Context
The day after the presidential hunting party was absorbed into the bayous and canebrakes of central Louisiana on what would be an extended black-bear hunt (October 6-19), Clifford Kennedy Berryman of the Washington Star vented the frustration of journalists and commentators that the object of their affection, or attention, would be off the boards.
Of course there was other business in the United States; other events (like a sputtering economy, soon to be manifest in the Wall Street Panic); other controversies like trials of various robber barons; other world events like wars and peace conferences — but such was the perennial magnetism of Theodore Roosevelt that even a two-week absence created an immense void in public life.
As with his subsequent safari in Africa, Roosevelt refused to have the press accompany him on this hunt. It was entirely private — and frustrating, as the dense and dangerous canebrakes prevented easy progress and clear shots. In his small party, however, were local politico John Milliken Parker, a future governor of the state and prominent Roosevelt loyalist and Progressive Party figure; and John Avery McIlhenny, veteran of the Rough Riders and heir to the Tabasco Sauce empire located in Louisiana.
The president, after charging through canebrakes on horseback to the barks of the hounds, bagged a she-bear near the end of the hunt.
Collection
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
Creation Date
1907-10-07
Creator(s)
Berryman, Clifford Kennedy, 1869-1949
Language
English
Period
U.S. President – 2nd Term (March 1905-February 1909)
Page Count
1
Production Method
Record Type
Image
Resource Type
Rights
These images are presented through a cooperative effort between the Library of Congress and Dickinson State University. No known restrictions on publication.
Citation
Cite this Record
Chicago:
Where the president was last seen. [October 7, 1907]. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o301617. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Berryman, Clifford Kennedy, 1869-1949. Where the president was last seen. [7 Oct. 1907]. Image.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. February 26, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o301617.
APA:
Berryman, Clifford Kennedy, 1869-1949., [1907, October 7]. Where the president was last seen.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o301617.
Cite this Collection
Chicago:
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-manuscript-division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. February 26, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-manuscript-division.
APA:
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-manuscript-division.
