Teddy Roosevelt ‘Had A Lot Of Stuff’
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This article by the Associated Press caught my eye this morning: “Teddy Roosevelt’s NY home set for $6.2M rehab.”
Before I had the chance to start pondering the question (Why do we need to spend $6.2 Million to rehab an old home) I caught the first sentence of the article: “Theodore Roosevelt had a lot of stuff.”
Then I remembered that amazing picture of Teddy standing next to an elephant he had just killed. Pardon my language but I have to say: So badass!
I bought some books Teddy had written, one about the outdoors. I never read them, but they are on my bucket list. Funny how a simple article can remind me of things I planned to do one day. Not to mention, I’d still like to bike from Roosevelt Island to Mount Vernon. I just need to get a new bike.
Anyway– back to the point. Teddy Roosevelt had a lot of stuff. I never dreamed I could go to his house and see it. After reading the article, I have a new item on my bucket list: see the trash can made out of an elephant’s foot. (Would having something like that today be illegal?)
The big issue for the park service is packing all the stuff up and storing it in a safe place so they can rehab the home. The National Park Service is providing updates about the project. It’s going to take three years. At least I know what I’ll be doing in 2015.
Thanks for posting.
The fact that trophies of that sort are duplicated is in a way “copycat”, and I think you can understand how I mean that. Yet trophy hunting is not the cause of may species being at risk, it’s land use. Just as anthropogenic climate change is also (not carbon saturation).
Still I have no problem with trophies that glorify the subject, such as trophy heads, but somehow a trashcan or ashtray don’t IMHO. I’m not a fan of fur for fashion, but have no problems wearing leather items. It’s a fine line between what is legitimate and what isn’t.
I hunt, but if and when I do I also eat.. as that was the purpose of hunting.
It’s all about respect for life to me,and just as animal cruelty has been found to lead to other crimes as a result of disrespecting the life of an animal, I find it important to recognize the basic motive for hunting. When I did hunt it was for the experience or in short the ‘know how’. It was both spiritual an educational, and I did not waste it.
I’ve been to Sagamore Hill once as a boy and recently as a much wiser and appreciative adult. First of all, Oyster Bay is a beautiful area and worth the drive if you’re in New York City, on Long Island, or even nearby Connecticut. The house itself is on a great spot of land, is a great example of Victorian architecture, and is indeed filled with the accessories and achievements of what is an amazing and inspiring American life. His birthplace home in lower Manhattan (http://www.nyharborparks.org/visit/thro.html) is also an interesting place to visit and learn about Teddy Roosevelt.
Hey James– what I found interesting is the fact that we are so horrified by acts like this today when back then it was accepted and championed. (Although I have found some examples on taxidermist websites with similar items.) What I find peculiar is the fact that today, is that our society continues to create items that look like we all want to hunt elephants. While I was trying to figure out the legality of having such an item, I ran across this: http://bit.ly/vdMqFA. Some are real, most are fake. There are so many elephant foot re-creations. Many are stools. I even found one example where a used stool was being sold from a theme park.
As for bicycling from Roosevelt Island to Mount Vernon, from that’s an easy enjoyable one. My wishlist in that way would be to camp and bike my way from the start of skyline drive, pick up the blue ridge parkway and continue on to it’s end. For that I need to rebuild (upgrade) my old spare bicycle because my current road bike could not bear the load of bags and gear. In the meantime I ride to upgrade my own fitness for such a ride.
About Teddy, one of my favorite Presidents (next to Jefferson). The game trophies are to me contradictory to his status as a conservationist, but that was a time when our world had seemingly endless resources. I don’t fault him for it just as I don’t fault many sins of ignorance from the past. It’s worth considering in terms of wisdom what their mistakes were and the consequences we face today, while appreciating their spirits and foresight as adventurers in a brave new world.
Trash cans from elephants legs or ash trays from gorilla’s palms to me are just as evil as lampshades from the holocaust. I say that in the sense that hunting for trophy is disrespectful and barbarous, while hunting for real need is not.
I apologize if my point of view is harsh but I felt it important enough to say even if this post is not displayed.