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Theodore Roosevelt writes to his sister Anna about his successful hunting trip in the Bighorn mountains with Bill Merrifield. He shot several bears and elk.
1884-09-20
President Roosevelt asks Frank Ross McCoy to relay his regards to Yosemite park rangers John D. Alger and Archibald C. Leonard, remembering “the two bully camps we had” on a recent camping trip. While Roosevelt sympathizes with McCoy about the bears, he views it as good that they found refuge in Yosemite and Yellowstone National Parks. He agrees with McCoy regarding the Japanese.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1907-08-19
Henry P. Curtis describes a recent publication on European natural history that he believes Theodore Roosevelt might be interested in. He explains how many towns were named after the animals that once resided there, such as Wolverhampton (wolves).
Curtis also shares with Roosevelt that his father was a Whig, while Curtis is a Republican. He expresses admiration for Senator John Sherman, discusses his political adversaries, and wishes that Sherman, Alexander Hamilton, and Daniel Webster could have been presidents.
R. M. Norboe is pleased that conservationist John M. Phillips has called upon President Roosevelt and that Phillips is so interested in protecting Pennsylvania game, which Norboe believes is a step in the right direction. Norboe describes an encounter he had with a pack of wolves while hunting. He encloses a picture of the skin of a bear killed in Alaska.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-12-23
President Roosevelt holds onto a branch as he eyes a “third term” bear higher up on his branch.
A “third term” bear chases President Roosevelt into the “national convention 1908” canyon.
President Roosevelt holds a rifle on his right shoulder and a bag labeled “off to Louisiana” and walks away from four bears hiding behind a “Wall Street” sign.
Three secret service men and a bull dog quietly walk away from a house on Oyster Bay saying, “Hush!” “Don’t make a noise, he’s asleep!” “Sh-h-h-h!! He’s sleeping” and “He is asleep!” Inside the house the following noises are made: “Z-z-z-z!! Bzzz! Z-z-zoch!! Z-z-z! B-z! B-z-zip! Bz-z!” Caption: “‘A live bear has taken up his home in the woods on Sagamore Hill, and in the early hours this morning he paid a visit to the home of President Roosevelt. Secret service men hastily organized a hunting party. The hunt lasted until 6 o’clock. The bear got away. It is the belief that it has been living here for several days.’ — Extracts From a News Item From Oyster Bay.”
President Roosevelt is on the hunt as a bear, a sheep labeled “the weakling,” and a rhinoceros labeled “new finance” run away while an octopus wrapped in a tree and a bull stay out of the way. In the background is a “muck rake” and a goat labeled “E.H.H.” on a mountain, “reserved for scape-goats.”
A bear labeled “Taft,” a wolf labeled “Fairbanks,” a fox labeled “Cortelyou,” and a cat labeled “Knox” chase a “Republican nomination” bunny into the “T.R.” tent. Beside the tent is a gun, a “big stick,” and a cowboy hat.
Armed with a big stick, President Roosevelt plays poker with “Bear” and “Bull” on a table labeled “Wall Street,” saying “It’s a square deal, boys!”
A bear labeled “third term” climbs down a tree to get to President Roosevelt. On the side of a mountain are the words, “last term declaration.”
A “railroad magnate” sits in a tree with a top hat labeled “railroad” stuck to a branch. He says, “For heavens sake Theodore, save me!” as a bear below him labeled “state law” growls, “two cents – mile.” President Roosevelt, armed with a gun labeled “federal law,” marches away from Washington and toward the tree. There is a sign in the foreground that says, “No trespassing on these grounds.”
In these cartoons, the Roosevelt bears travel across the land.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-01-07
These cartoons tell the story of the Roosevelt bears learning how to farm.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-01-28
The Senate room, which has bear skins on the wall, is full of President Roosevelts.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1905-12-27
President Roosevelt rolls up his sleeves to write the “President’s Annual Message” while a “political grafter,” an “insurance grafter,” and a “public official grafter” watch from the window. A bear head is mounted on the wall. There are some handwritten additions on the message as well as a speech balloon coming from the bear’s mouth.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1905-09-20
President Roosevelt tells stories around the campfire to several young children. He says, “Then that bear stood right straight up on his hind legs and opened his mouth to roar. He had tusks like a walrus and his eyes glowed like coals of fire. His claws—” Caption: The President and ten of the youngsters belonging to the several Roosevelt families have been camping out at the Cape of Happy Chance, near Oyster Bay.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1905-07-20
A bandaged bear holds up a newspaper with the following heading: “Good News Convention—President’s Departure from Colorado—The end of the hunt—Peace in the mountains again—Animals are notified that the enemy has gone.” Several bandaged animals, including a snake, look on.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1905-05-21
A group of bears huddle around a fire, looking into the woods, from which a number of pince-nez eyeglasses watch them.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1905