The sighting at Pine Knot, Virginia
Subject(s): American Museum of Natural History, Arizona--Grand Canyon National Park, Audubon, John James, 1785-1851, Bell, John G. (John Graham), 1812-1889, Burroughs, John, 1837-1921, Conservation of natural resources, Harvard University, Livingstone, David, 1813-1873, Maine, McDaniel, Dick, Muir, John, 1838-1914, North Dakota--Badlands, North Dakota--Little Missouri National Grassland, North Dakota--Medora, North Dakota--Theodore Roosevelt National Park, Ornithology--Field work, Passenger pigeon, Pinchot, Gifford, 1865-1946, Roosevelt, Edith Kermit Carow, 1861-1948, Roosevelt, Kermit, 1889-1943, Roosevelt, Robert Barnwell, 1829-1906, Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919, Smithsonian Institution, United States. Secret Service, Wilmer, Joseph, 1848-1912, Wilson, Alexander, 1766-1813
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In “The Sighting at Pine Knot, Virginia,” Alton A. Lindsay explores the question of whether Theodore Roosevelt was the last person to report a credible sighting of the extinct passenger pigeon near his presidential retreat, Pine Knot in Virginia, in 1907. Lindsay provides a history of Pine Knot and also looks at the making of Roosevelt as a naturalist going back to his childhood. He notes some of the defining experiences in Roosevelt’s life that made him a naturalist and conservationist, such as his time in the Dakota Badlands. Like other scholars he pushes back against the idea that Roosevelt was merely a man of action and asserts that he “was a man of intellect.”
He details Roosevelt’s sighting of a small flock of passenger pigeons in May 1907, and argues that Roosevelt’s history and experience as a naturalist and ornithologist lend credibility to his claims to have seen the birds.
A photograph of President Roosevelt and another showing the Pine Knot cabin from the side and rear accompany the article.
Collection
Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal
Creation Date
1978
Creator(s)
Lindsey, Alton A. (Alton Anthony), 1907-1999
Language
English
Period
Theodore Roosevelt and Public Memory (1919-present)
Page Count
4
Production Method
Record Type
Image
Resource Type
Rights
No permission is required from the Theodore Roosevelt Association to use items in the Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal collection for educational purposes. For permissions, contact William Tilchin at (516) 921-6319 or by email at wnt@bu.edu.
Citation
Cite this Record
Chicago:
The sighting at Pine Knot, Virginia. [1978]. Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o305865. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Lindsey, Alton A. (Alton Anthony), 1907-1999. The sighting at Pine Knot, Virginia. [1978]. Image.
Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. March 5, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o305865.
APA:
Lindsey, Alton A. (Alton Anthony), 1907-1999., [1978]. The sighting at Pine Knot, Virginia.
Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o305865.
Cite this Collection
Chicago:
Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/theodore-roosevelt-association-journal. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. March 5, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/theodore-roosevelt-association-journal.
APA:
Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/theodore-roosevelt-association-journal.
