“De-lighted” in the canebrakes
Subject(s): Bear hunting, Louisiana, Presidents--Travel, Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919
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President Roosevelt stands on the back of a train as he is sent off by several men at the train station and a group of four bears in the canebrakes. The bears say, “Dey-dey. You’re all right,” “You’re a jolly good fellow–but–we’re glad we’re not in the trusts,” “Tra-la. We’ll play tag again,” and “Bye-bye. Come again.”
Comments and Context
On the very day that President Roosevelt departed Stamboul, in Louisiana’s “Cajun Prairie” in East Carroll Parish, where he had hunted black bears for two weeks, cartoonist Joseph H. Cunningham imagined the event. A small group of men waving from across the tracks; a small sleuth of bears waving their good-byes from the tall and thorny canebrakes.
Oddly, since Roosevelt bagged a large she-bear on his last day — a fact that was either not known by, or irrelevant to, the cartoonist — the bears seem affectionate and friendly. They might have been grateful that the hunter of their hides (and livers, as Roosevelt reported having eaten after his kill) was leaving; first stop, a speaking engagement in Vicksburg. They are “de-lighted.”
Collection
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
Creation Date
1907-10-19
Creator(s)
Cunningham, Joseph Harry, 1865-1946
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:
“De-lighted” in the canebrakes. [October 19, 1907]. Library of Congress Manuscript Division.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o301630. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Cunningham, Joseph Harry, 1865-1946. “De-lighted” in the canebrakes. [19 Oct. 1907]. Image.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. February 26, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o301630.
APA:
Cunningham, Joseph Harry, 1865-1946., [1907, October 19]. “De-lighted” in the canebrakes.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o301630.
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.
