history

Living at Roosevelt Camp

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When people first step into Roosevelt Camp they have to stop and take it all in. Outside of Camp are my shipping containers from adventures across the globe. Inside, under canvas sits my writing desk covered with a few books of the era I am reading, along with notes about animal skins I have displayed along with a magnifying glass. A bureau sits next to it with my “Rough Rider” uniform at the ready. Behind that is my bed, covered in sheep skins and a horse blanket. The most common question from a child, eyes still wide, is “Do you sleep here?” (yes). Then, they guess the bed covering to be a bear.

Also inside in tent is a mini museum with taxidermy along with period shadow boxes of important TR time periods and of course, firearms and furs which keeps people talking for hours.

For the past month I have been traveling across our great country meeting tens of thousands of people at historical celebrations and outdoor expos, educating on our conservation legacy. It is important to me to discuss and I hope reminds people how each election impacts what is created or taken away for future generations.

Once in a while, something magical happens in Camp. It can be a child who learns of Roosevelt for the first time or hears of story of the Teddy Bear. It can be a person who shares a story about a home Roosevelt once stayed in their community, or an uncle who served as a Rough Rider. Each trip yields a find memory of that community and the people who visit.

This last tour, I had a photographer visit who shoots large format film in antique cameras and asked to take my photo. I was tickled by the image he produced and believe it speaks to Roosevelt Camps historic impact. A special “Bully thank you” to Kent Staubus for sending me this great photo!

A Fair idea

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The Theodore Roosevelt Family

The Theodore Roosevelt Family

This past week I had set up my camp at a County Fair, the first time ever doing so.  In most events I do, I am at a school or show where there are mostly students or a corporate or government event with only adults.  This was a very rare experience to have entire families to visit and enjoy spending time.  I was left with some very rewarding memories and a hope for the future generation.

The majority of children I met were attentive, well behaved and had great questions.  The parents were equally interested in making sure their children understood the moment they were having was a unique opportunity to be able to talk to Roosevelt and learn.   I also made sure that those parents learned along the way too!

One of the most rewarding conversations was on a Sunday morning where I sat down in camp with a couple and we started talking about their interest in history.  As we spoke, we all agreed that to truly understand our country, you need to start at the beginning of the United States.  (The natives are our first true American’s, but in this conversation we spoke of the formation of the United States in relation to King George)

I set them out on a homework assignment which I assumed they would do later in the week.  However, they came back within an hour and we sat down again and had another fantastic discussion.  Here was the homework assignment: Read the last sentence of the Declaration of Independence.

All most all of us know the beginning of the second paragraph.  “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal….”  But it is the last sentence that shows to the extent that the men and women who created our American experiment were willing to go. “And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.”

Now I have a homework assignment for you:  Read that last sentence again and ask yourself, how far would you go to protect what they created for you?