In
1903, President Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt visited Yosemite National Park.
Guided into the Yosemite wilderness by naturalist John Muir, the president went
on a three-day wilderness trip that started at the Mariposa Grove.
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| Pres. Roosevelt, John Muir and the official presidential delegation at Grizzly Giant Tree in Mariposa Grove, Yosemite National Park |
He also
visited Sentinel Dome, Glacier Point, and Yosemite Valley among other points of
interest in the park. Muir seized the opportunity "to do some forest good
in talking freely around the campfire," and the President, referring to
John Muir, is quoted as saying "Of course of all the people in the world,
he was the one with whom it was best worth while thus to see the
Yosemite."
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| President Theodore Roosevelt and his Official Delegation enter the part at Wawona |
President
Roosevelt, accustomed to being surrounded by enthusiastic crowds, wanted his
experience to the park to be one of isolation and “roughing it.” For most of
his journey he was accompanied by only four others: John Muir, two of the men
hired as the first civilian park rangers in 1898, Charlies Leidig and Archibald
C. Leonard, and a packer (Army packer Jacker Alder). President Roosevelt slept
on a stack of forty wool blankets covered by a shelter half. Food for the party
was cooked over an open campfire by Charlie Leidig.
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| Pres. Theodore Roosevelt leads party including John Muir, Charles Leidig, Park Ranger and cook, Archie C. Leonard, Park Ranger and Army packer, Jacker Adler |
From
Charlie Leidig’s Report of President Roosevelt’s visit: “On May 3/16, 1903, …they broke camp at Mariposa Grove and were
on horses by 6:30a.m. The president directed Leidig to “outskirt and keep away
from civilization.” Leidig led the party down the Lightning Trail. They crossed
the South Fork at Greeley’s and hit the Empire Meadows Trail. They especially
avoided approaching the Wawona Hotel for fear the President would be brought in
contact with members of his own official party which had remained for the night
at Wawona. They had a cold lunch on the ridge east of Empire Meadows. There was
lots of snow as they crossed towards Sentinel Dome; they took turns breaking
trail through deep snow. In the Bridalveil Meadows the party plowed through5
ft. of snow. The President mired down and Charley had to get a log to get him
out. It was snowing hard and the wind was blowing.”
From
Charlie Leidig’s report of President Roosevelt’s visit: “On May 4, the party went down to Glacier Point for pictures that had
been prearranged….”
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| President Theodore Roosevelt at Glacier Point |
From
Charlie Leidig’s report of President Roosevelt’s visit:
As they left Glacier
Point, the President rode in front dressed in civilian attire. The rangers wore
blue overalls, shaps and spurs. They went into Little Yosemite Valley for
lunch. Here they encountered a considerable crowd of valley visitors, since it had
been widely advertised in the papers that the President was visiting the park.
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| Pres. Theodore Roosevelt and John Muir at Glacier Point |
There was
considerable disagreement in the matter of plans for the Presidential visit.
The President wanted a roughing trip and through Pardee, Wheeler and Muir such
a trip had been worked out. On the other hand, Mr. John Stevens, Guardian of
the Valley under State administration, and certain of the commissioners,
especially Jack Wilson from San Francisco, had made plans for a large
celebration. The Chris Jorgensen studio home had been set aside for the
President’s official use. A cook had been set engaged from one of the best
hotels in San Francisco to serve a banquet. The commissioner had arranged a
considerable display of fireworks, which John Degnan claims amounted to some $1800
worth….
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| Yosemite National Park map |
So there was
considerable party awaiting the President at the top of Nevada Falls and Little
Yosemite. The President requested that all the people be kept at a distance in
order that he could carry out his desire for a “roughing trip”, so everybody
was kept at a respectful distance.
When the party
reached Camp Curry at 2 P.M., they found a big crowd of women in front of the
camp. They had formed a line across the road in an attempt to stop the
President. They all wanted to shake hands with him. Charlie Leidig states, he
was riding second in line with a Winchester rifle and six shooter. His horse
was a high spirited animal. The President said, “I am very much annoyed,
couldn’t you do something?” Leidig replied, “follow me.” He gave spurs to his
horse and as he reared, women fell apart and the President’s party went through
the gap. The President waved his hat to the group in the road.
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| Camp Curry, circa early 1900s |
…..Accompanied by
five or six members of his party, the President walked back across the Sentinel
Bridge to his horse. Muir had accompanied the President to the Jorgensen
studio. The original party of five mounted their horses and started down the
valley to pick a camp site near Bridalveil Falls where Muir had suggested they
spend the last night in camp….They went down the south side of the [Merced]
river followed by a big string of people on horseback, in buggies, surries, and
others on foot. Leidig stated there must have been between 300 or 500, or
possibly 1000 of them in the crowd, filling the Bridalveil Meadows. As they
reached their camping places on a grassy slope just south of the present road
through Bridalveil Meadows, the President said to Leidig, “These people annoy
me. Can you get rid of them?” Charlie said he walked out and told the crowd
that the president was very tired and asked them to leave. They went—some of
them even on tiptoe, so as not to annoy their President.
When Charlie returned
to the camp site the President said, “Charlie I am hungry as Hell. Cook any dam
thing you wish. How long will it take?”
Charlie told him it
would take about 30 minutes, so the President lay on his bed of blankets and
went to sleep and snored so loud that Leidig could hear him even above the
crackling of the campfire.
After dinner, Muir
and the President went out int the meadow until way after dark. When they
returned they sat around the campfire where the President told them of his lion
hunting trips.
People came again in
the morning. Crowds could be seen all through the brush. Leidig kept them away.
The stage came down containing the President’s official party. After breakfast,
the President and Muir got into the stage and as they left the President called
Leidig and Leonard to him and said, “Boys, I am leaving you. Good-bye, and God
Bless you.”
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| Pres. Theodore Roosevelt in rear seat on way to Inspiration Point, Yosemite National Park |
Roosevelt
is quotes as saying, "There can be nothing in the world more beautiful
than the Yosemite, the groves of the giant sequoias...our people should see to
it that they are preserved for their children and their Children's children
forever, with their majestic beauty all unmarred." While he was president,
Theodore Roosevelt established five national parks, 18 national monuments, 55
national bird sanctuaries and wildlife refuges, and 150 national forests.
It
has been my privilege as a volunteer in the Merced California Family History
Center to have worked with sisters Lucille C. Davenport and Joyce C. Hammer,
descendants of Park Ranger Archibald C. Leonard. With their permission, I will
be telling a bit of their grandparent’s story in next month’s blog.
Sources:
Bingaman, John W., “Guardians
of the Yosemite”http://www.yosemite.ca.us/library/guardians_of_the_yosemite/history.html
Charlie Leidig’s Report of President Roosevelt’s Visit in
May, 1903
Theodore Roosevelt, The John Muir Exhibit, http://vault.sierraclub.org/john_muir_exhibit/people/roosevelt.aspx
