Arizona--Grand Canyon

Francis P. McManamon examines the origins of the Antiquities Act of 1906 that President Theodore Roosevelt and his successors used to safeguard natural and scientific sites across the United States. McManamon asserts that it was threats to ancient archaeological sites across the American Southwest that led to calls for greater government intervention, and he highlights the case of the Casa Grande ruins in Arizona. McManamon notes the work of private organizations, government agencies, individuals, and members of Congress, most importantly Congressman John F. Lacey of Iowa, who worked to save important sites before the passage of the Antiquities Act. McManamon traces the slow path to passage of the Antiquities Act, and he highlights its important text and provisions. He notes how Roosevelt used the act to set aside eighteen national monuments, and he asserts that Roosevelt’s actions, especially in regards to the Grand Canyon of Arizona, set important precedents for his successors, especially President Bill Clinton.  

Two photographs and two illustrations supplement the text. 

William N. Tilchin provides an introduction to former Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal editor John A. Gable’s last major public address of October 23, 2004. Tilchin notes that Gable’s speech called for a comprehensive study of Theodore Roosevelt and conservation and that Douglas Brinkley has met that need with his 2009 book The Wilderness Warrior: Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade for America. The journal reprints Gable’s address in its handwritten version with Gable’s final edits added by Tilchin.

In the speech, Gable asserts that Theodore Roosevelt’s record as a conservationist and an environmentalist has not been adequately explored by historians and biographers, and he notes the work of Tweed Roosevelt in trying to correct this shortcoming. Gable also argues that Roosevelt, a man of many seeming contradictions, was both a use-conservationist and a preservationist when it came to natural resources, and he quotes Theodore Roosevelt and cites examples from his record as president to bolster his argument. 

Four photographs of Gable supplement the text. Gable’s address first appeared in volume 26, number 3, 2005 issue of the journal.

John A. Gable asserts that Theodore Roosevelt’s record as a conservationist and an environmentalist has not been adequately explored by historians and biographers, and he notes the work of Tweed Roosevelt in trying to correct this shortcoming. Gable also argues that Roosevelt, a man of many seeming contradictions, was both a use-conservationist and a preservationist when it came to natural resources, and he quotes Theodore Roosevelt and cites examples from his record as president to bolster his argument. The section also includes a text box with a quote from Theodore Roosevelt, an announcement about the establishment of the Theodore Roosevelt Center for American Civilization at Tulane University, and information about the 2005 annual meeting of the Theodore Roosevelt Association.

The article includes ten photographs of Gable with various figures, including three Presidents of the United States–Jimmy Carter, George Bush, and George W. Bush.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

In a speech at the Grand Canyon in Arizona, President Theodore Roosevelt remarks on the contributions made to the Rough Riders regiment by the citizens of Arizona, including Native Americans, and he says that the state will benefit from plans for irrigation promoted by his administration. Roosevelt also encourages the citizens of Arizona to leave the Grand Canyon untouched and unspoiled, famously saying that “man can only mar it.” Roosevelt also makes use of the term “square deal” for the first time in this address.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1903-05-06

Char Miller explores the use and evolution of the Antiquities Act of 1906, which President Theodore Roosevelt made extensive use of during his second term in office. Miller notes how the Act emerged from the Progressive movement with its faith in a strong central government and trained experts. Miller notes that the Act has been seen as part of the growing power of the executive branch of government, but he notes that the national monuments created by the Act lacked protection and development for decades until the administration of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Miller highlights national monuments such as Devils Tower, Navajo National Monument, and the Grand Canyon. 

The article includes five photographs of Roosevelt in 1895, 1903, 1910, 1911, and 1914.

John F. Reiger explores the relationships that led to Theodore Roosevelt’s championing the conservation of natural resources as president. Reiger focuses most of his attention on Roosevelt’s friendship with George Bird Grinnell with whom he would found the hunting and conservation group, the Boone and Crockett Club. Reiger also notes the influence of John F. Lacey, Frank M. Chapman, and others, and he describes how Roosevelt in turn would prove to be an inspiration to future leaders in the environmental movement. Reiger examines Roosevelt’s role in preserving Yellowstone National Park and the Grand Canyon, and he asserts that there is no contradiction in Roosevelt espousing both utilitarian and aesthetic conservation.

Two photographs of Roosevelt in Yellowstone National Park in 1903 appear in the essay.

Tweed Roosevelt asks why there has been so little consideration of Theodore Roosevelt’s record as a conservationist. He reviews some of the major biographies and histories of Roosevelt and his time and finds that their examination of Roosevelt as a conservationist is scanty at best. Tweed Roosevelt identifies Roosevelt’s father, Theodore Roosevelt, and his uncle, Robert Barnwall Roosevelt, as important figures in shaping Roosevelt’s interest in the natural world, and he surveys the actions taken by Roosevelt as Governor of New York and President of the United States to safeguard rivers, forests, birds, and natural wonders such as the Grand Canyon. 

Two photographs of Theodore Roosevelt and one of Robert Barnwall Roosevelt supplement the text. 

In a quote from his work, Outdoor Pastimes of an American Hunter, Theodore Roosevelt waxes poetic about the natural wonders of the United States, and believes that Americans “should see to it that they are preserved for their children and their children’s children forever.”

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1905

Theodore Roosevelt leads a group of men and women riding mules down the Bright Angel Trail, Grand Canyon, Arizona.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1911

Photograph showing Theodore Roosevelt on a mule while talking to Captain John Hance at the Grand Canyon. Likely taken during his 1911 trip.

Collection

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs

Creation Date

1940-12-16

John A. Gable examines Theodore Roosevelt’s connections to the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. He looks at its founding by Roosevelt’s father, notes the many specimens donated by Roosevelt, and highlights contributions made to the museum in various capacities by other members of the Roosevelt family. Gable details the design, construction, and contents of the museum’s Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Hall, including its murals and dioramas featuring scenes from Roosevelt’s life and work.

Photographs of the interior and exterior of the Memorial Hall as well as one of James Earle Fraser’s equestrian statue of Roosevelt outside of the museum accompany the article. A full page photograph of one of the dioramas, depicting a scene near Roosevelt’s Elkhorn Ranch, is also found in the article.

A listing of the officers of the Theodore Roosevelt Association as well as the members of its executive, finance, and Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace committees is found on the second page of the article.

Five book reviews on six different books comprise this edition of the “Book Notes” column. In his review, Richard H. Collins focuses on Kathleen Dalton’s contribution to Robert J. Brugger’s Our Selves/Our Past, Psychological Approaches to American History. Dalton embraces a psychohistory approach to understanding Theodore Roosevelt, emphasizing his commitment to overcoming his childhood asthma and living the strenuous life. Collins argues that this approach is misguided and ignores Roosevelt’s class and his formidable intellect. Patrick C. Gable commends John Morton Blum for his appraisal of Roosevelt in The Progressive Presidents, but he faults him for blaming Roosevelt for the misdeeds and excesses of his Democratic successors.

Peter R. Fischer finds Charles C. Goetsch’s Essays on Simeon E. Baldwin “a worthwhile collection,” but he thinks the confrontation between Roosevelt and Baldwin over a federal labor law may not merit the importance that Goetsch assigns it. Elizabeth E. Roosevelt praises Mary Helen Dohan’s Mr. Roosevelt’s Steamboat for its depictions of life along the Mississippi River and for not overlooking the contributions of Lydia Latrobe Roosevelt to her husband’s success. Dennis Wood reviews Paul Schullery’s The Grand Canyon and Old Yellowstone Days. Theodore Roosevelt has an essay in each of these collections of writings about iconic American landscapes.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Two quotations about the conservation of natural resources by Theodore Roosevelt, one from 1905 and the other from 1915. Both stress the need to preserve resources for future generations.

The quotations are followed by an advertisement for the Roosevelt Savings Bank of Garden City, New York, listing its various branch offices.

Six quotations and speech excerpts from Theodore Roosevelt on the topic of conservation. The excerpts highlight Roosevelt’s belief that the United States has been wasteful in its use of natural resources and that it must use better judgment in the future to ensure that the resources that have allowed the nation to grow and prosper will be available for future generations. 

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1977

President Roosevelt thanks Lucien Whiting Powell for the painting of the Grand Canyon. He also informs him that his current aide is Fitzhugh Lee, Jr., son of General Fitzhugh Lee, under whom Powell served.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-04-11

President Roosevelt is working with Postmaster General Henry C. Payne on several investigations at the Post Office. Former President Cleveland remains popular among Democrats and Roosevelt believes that Cleveland’s nomination is “far from impossible.” Roosevelt enjoyed traveling through the southeast, found the Grand Canyon majestic, and is pleased with his traveling companions, Nicholas Murray Butler, Secretary of the Navy William H. Moody, and Benjamin Ide Wheeler.

Collection

Massachusetts Historical Society

Creation Date

1903-05-11

As soon as she has an itinerary, Corinne Roosevelt Robinson will send it to John Campbell Greenway. She wonders if it would be possible to see Greenway in Arizona as she will be traveling to the Grand Canyon at some point.

Collection

Arizona Historical Society

Creation Date

1922-02-23

John Campbell Greenway reviews the proposed itinerary for Theodore Roosevelt’s visit to Arizona.

Collection

Arizona Historical Society

Creation Date

1913-06-20

John Campbell Greenway outlines a potential itinerary for Theodore Roosevelt’s trip to Arizona. There was a recent battle over Naco, Sonora, Mexico, with the town and federal troops falling to General Obregon. Sonora is generally against the Huerta government but the rumor that the populace wants to join the United States is erroneous. Robert Harry Munro Ferguson is on the “highroad to recovery” but Isabella Ferguson is suffering from overwork.

Collection

Arizona Historical Society

Creation Date

1913-04-15

Theodore Roosevelt has not heard from John Campbell Greenway and asks if Greenway can meet him in El Paso, Texas, or Albuquerque, New Mexico. They would then continue on to the Roosevelt Dam and Grand Canyon.

Collection

Arizona Historical Society

Creation Date

1911-01-31