Florida--Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge

A narrative of Theodore Roosevelt’s role in bird preservation which includes factual footage taken on his visit under the auspices of the National Audubon Society to bird sanctuary islands off the coast of Louisiana, June 1915. Mating habits and domestic life of snowy egrets and their plunder by hunters are dramatized. Scenes of egrets’ nests and the hunt, kill, and plucking of birds serve as the prologue to depiction of Roosevelt as bird preservationist. Views of Roosevelt and John Milliken Parker, leader of the Louisiana Progressive party, aboard the Audubon Society’s boat, the Royal Tern. Views of Roosevelt standing in marshes, with what is perhaps the Louisiana Conservation Commission yacht in background. Herbert Keightley Job, photographer for the expedition and noted ornithologist, appears on the beach with his camera. Roosevelt examines eggs and talks with other members of the expedition: a man who is probably J. Hippolyte Coquille, a local photographer; M. L. Alexander in light pants, president of the Louisiana Conservation Commission; Parker, with his back to camera; and game warden William Sprinkle. Additional scenes of Roosevelt exploring the island and observing birds along the beach, and views of a variety of shore birds including royal terns, black skimmers, laughing gulls, brown pelicans, blue herons, and egrets.

Collection

Library of Congress Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound

Creation Date

1924

Creator(s)

Roosevelt Memorial Association Film Library

Variety defines this edition of “News & Notes.” The section highlights numerous ceremonies, celebrations, and exhibitions to mark the ongoing centennial observation of Theodore Roosevelt’s presidency. It also covers the Fourth of July celebration in Oyster Bay, New York, the dedication of a plaque commemorating the attempt on Roosevelt’s life in October 1912 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and the 50th anniversary of the opening of Sagamore Hill to the public. “News & Notes” also notes the death of Doris Albert Budner, the struggles of a Rough Rider museum in New Mexico, and the publication of an article by the Cato Institute that criticizes Roosevelt. 

The section contains three text boxes with quotations and excerpts from Roosevelt’s writings, and it is supplemented by four photographs, including two of humorist Mo Rocca at Sagamore Hill.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Eleven topics vie for attention in the “Reviews” section, including six book review essays, three of which are written by John A. Gable. Harry N. Lembeck revisits Jacob A. Riis’s 1904 biography Theodore Roosevelt the Citizen and finds it especially valuable for learning about Theodore Roosevelt’s tenure as Police Commissioner of New York City. Jeremy M. Murphy says that Eric Rauchway’s Murdering McKinley goes against the prevailing trend that sees Roosevelt’s progressivism as genuine, and he disputes Rauchway’s conclusions about the fate of the Socialist Party in the United States. Gable notes that James Chace’s 1912 makes no use of primary sources, but he recommends it “as a good place to start on the election of 1912.”

In his review of Daniel J. Philippon’s Conserving Words, Edward Renehan focuses on Roosevelt, his writings about hunting and ranching in Dakota, and his founding of the Boone & Crockett Club. Gable notes that John P. Avlon identifies Roosevelt as a model centrist in his Independent Nation, and he says that Richard D. White’s Roosevelt the Reformer provides a biography of Roosevelt during his years as a Civil Service Commissioner. The section also has an excerpt from the writings of Douglas Brinkley, notes the passing of Edward Wagenknecht, author of The Seven Worlds of Theodore Roosevelt, and announces that the 2004 meeting of the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA) will be held in Portland, Oregon. An article on the vice presidential candidates in the election of 1904 and two letters to the TRA praising its journal close out the section.

Photographs of Roosevelt and Avlon appear in the section along with a text box with a quote from Roosevelt about the 1904 campaign.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

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. 

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Seventeen topics compete for attention in the ten pages of this edition of the “News and Notes” section. The restoration of Sagamore Hill National Historic Site by the National Park Service and the acquisition of Theodore Roosevelt’s rustic retreat, Pine Knot, by the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA) receive extensive coverage. The section also highlights the ninetieth anniversary of the establishment of Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge and the visit by President Bill Clinton to the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt.

“News and Notes” covers the various student awards and contests sponsored by the TRA as well as the natural history research grants given by the American Museum of Natural History. The section also provides information about the Woman’s Roosevelt Memorial Association and defends Roosevelt’s stance on women’s issues. An article by Bill Bleyer about the restoration of Sagamore Hill is reprinted in “News and Notes” along with a letter from a TRA member who complains about the glorification of Roosevelt in the pages of the Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal.

Seven photographs of various subjects, including Sagamore Hill, Pine Knot, and the USS Theodore Roosevelt appear in the section.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

During his time as president, Theodore Roosevelt greatly advanced the cause of preservation of American wildlife through his establishment of federal bird preserves, national game preserves, and the establishment of several National Parks and Monuments. This brief notice emphasizes his administration’s efforts to preserve the American bison and it names some of the preserves and parks created during his tenure.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1987

Creator(s)

Unknown

John A. Gable provides a comprehensive accounting of the conservation record of President Theodore Roosevelt, and in ten quotations dating from 1905 to 1912, Roosevelt explains his philosophy of conservation. Roosevelt stresses that natural resources must be carefully managed for future generations and that conservation is the most important issue facing the country. Gable lists the 21 reclamation projects, 150 national forests, 51 bird refuges, and 4 national game preserves established by Roosevelt during his presidency. Gable also lists the 5 national parks and 18 national monuments created during Roosevelt’s tenure. He also notes the 7 different commissions and conferences called by Roosevelt during his presidency to study issues related to conservation and natural resources.

Photographs of Roosevelt at the dedication of the Roosevelt Dam in Arizona, at a federal bird refuge in Louisiana, and on horseback supplement the text.

A listing of the officers of the Theodore Roosevelt Association along with the members of its executive, finance, and Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace committees is included in the article.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

In “News of the Association,” John A. Gable discusses plans for the Quasquicentennial of Theodore Roosevelt’s birth during 1982 and 1983. He provides a detailed look at an article about Roosevelt’s conservation legacy in National Geographic Magazine and also examines Paul Schullery’s article about Roosevelt and fishing in The American Fly Fisher. Gable discusses Roosevelt’s use of the Antiquities Act, notes the passing of members of the Theodore Roosevelt Association (TRA), and quotes extensively from a letter from Alton A. Lindsay praising the value of the Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal to scholars. Gable notes the TRA’s support of the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site in Buffalo, New York, praises the documentary film My Father the President about life at Sagamore Hill, and acknowledges the work of Wallace Finley Dailey of Harvard University in compiling a bibliography of journal and magazine articles about Roosevelt.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

Creation Date

1982

Creator(s)

Gable, John A.

Two paragraph excerpt from Paul Russell Cutright’s Theodore Roosevelt: The Naturalist that describes President Theodore Roosevelt’s decision to establish the Pelican Island bird refuge in Florida along with a number of other bird reservations from 1903 to 1909. The Cutright excerpt is followed by two paragraphs that describe Roosevelt’s creation of national parks and monuments and closes with a quotation on conservation from his A Book-Lover’s Holiday in the Open.

A picture of Roosevelt examining a bird egg along with two unidentified men at a federal bird reservation in 1915 accompanies the article.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal

A collection of executive orders chronicling the establishment of a variety of bird sanctuaries and nature preserves across the United States.

Collection

Denver Public Library

Creation Date

Unknown

Creator(s)

Unknown

Envelope commemorating the centennial of the creation of the nation’s first national wildlife refuge, Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge. The envelope has a Pelican Island stamp featuring the image of a pelican and was postmarked in Fremont, California, on March 15, 2003, with a special “Celebrating a Century of Conservation” cancellation. On the left side of the envelope is an illustration of Theodore Roosevelt wearing a hat and bandana.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site

Creation Date

2003-03-15

Creator(s)

Unknown

President Roosevelt’s second executive order No. 1014, dated January 26, 1909, enlarging Pelican Island Reservation, Florida, which had been established by him on March 13, 1903. This order expands lands to include all mangrove and other islands within sections nine and ten, t. 315. f. 39e.

Collection

Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site

Creation Date

1909-01-26

Creator(s)

Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919; Dennett, Fred, 1863-1928