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Benson, Harry Coupland, 1857-1924

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Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to S. B. M. Young

Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to S. B. M. Young

After hearing from Alexander Lambert and others, President Roosevelt has come to the conclusion that General Young should be removed as Superintendent as Yellowstone Park, and all soldiers removed. Roosevelt wishes that authority could be divided, and that Young could remain in charge of civilians, but the law does not provide for that. Major Harry Coupland Benson will be named Acting Superintendent.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-10-16

Letter form S. B. M. Young to Theodore Roosevelt

Letter form S. B. M. Young to Theodore Roosevelt

S. B. M. Young, superintendent of Yellowstone National Park, would like to be appointed Governor of the Soldiers’ Home if President Roosevelt can do so without “doing injustice to anyone.” He celebrates that Roosevelt “did fray that crazy quilt [William Jennings] Bryan to a frazzle,” and believes that his administration will go down in history on par with those of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-11-12

Letter from Frank Ross McCoy to Theodore Roosevelt

Letter from Frank Ross McCoy to Theodore Roosevelt

Frank Ross McCoy reports on activities in Yosemite National Park, hoping to remind President Roosevelt of the “fine work and sport of the summertime.” John Muir, Joseph N. LeConte, and other members of the Sierra Club have said that the change in the valley has been very positive since it became part of the national park this year. The superintendent, Harry Coupland Benson, knows the park well and is popular with the Sierra Club. McCoy describes the park rangers and some encounters with grizzly bears, noting he found the instinct to shoot very strong but felt “stern duty’s restraining hand.” McCoy says Interior Secretary James R. Garfield came and went in a flurry, mentioning that he finds Roosevelt’s cabinet officers showing up everywhere to be “inspiring,” now that he has experienced it in the Philippines, Cuba, and the United States. McCoy offers his thoughts on race relations between the Californians and Japanese, as well as the attitudes of people on the West Coast regarding the Great White Fleet. McCoy regrets he cannot conduct Roosevelt and his family personally through the park.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1907-08-07