Friends of Sagamore Hill

11/09/2026

On this day November 9, 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt embarked aboard the battleship USS Louisiana, on a 17 day tour through the Caribbean Sea. This would be quite significant, because it marked the very first time a U.S. President traveled abroad while in office 🇺🇸 🇵🇦 🇵🇷

During this trip he visited Puerto Rico, which had become a U.S. Protectorate after the Spanish American War in 1898. But, at the core of this trip was Roosevelt’s monumental visit to the Panama Canal. He considered this remarkable engineering project his most significant achievement while in office, and could not wait to “see the dirt fly”.

This trip abroad indeed signaled a new era in how American Presidents conducted foreign diplomatic relations. From this point on, visits abroad would often be made in person, instead of communicating by wire or letter.

Photo: President Roosevelt aboard the USS Louisiana, accompanied by the First Lady, Edith, November 1906

Source(s): HISTORY UNUM Ken Burns Naval Historical Foundation Library of Congress

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11/09/2026

On November 8, 1904, Election Day, it was confirmed that Theodore Roosevelt would remain President of the United States. The election though had never been in doubt.

TR was enormously popular, and rode this wave of huge public support to a second term, and first elected term. Roosevelt had actually expressed doubt about whether he would get re-elected privately, so this indeed proved that he was no mistake! Ultimately this would be one of the most gratifying moments of his life:

“Tomorrow I shall come into the office on my own right. Then .... watch out for me!”

Photo: Theodore Roosevelt campaigning for President 1904

Source(s): Getty Images UVA's Miller Center
Library of Congress
“TR An American Lion” History Channel Documentary HISTORY

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11/03/2026

Happy to everyone out there! We hope that you were able to make it out to vote today. TR certainly felt very strong about every American doing their civic duty.

"It is not only your right to vote, but it is your duty if you are American citizens. I would rather have you come to the polls even if you voted against me than have you shirk your duty."

"A vote is like a r***e. Its usefulness depends upon the character of the user."

And in the 1904 Presidential Election, it was certainly monumental for President Theodore Roosevelt as he defeated the Democratic challenger Alton Parker overwhelmingly, 336 electoral votes to 140, the largest margin to that day. He won the popular vote 7.6 million to 5 million, as he had put to rest any doubts in his mind about being a legitimate President at this point.

“I am stunned by the overwhelming victory we have won. I had no conception that such a thing was possible. I had not the slightest idea that there was such a tidal wave!”

Photo: Electoral map of 1904

Source(s): U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
TR An American Lion Documentary HISTORY

10/21/2026

On October 21, 1900 Governor Theodore Roosevelt returned home from his 7 week Vice Presidential Whistlestop campaign tour. In all, he barnstormed through 567 communities in 24 states, making 673 speeches to more than 3,000,000 people.

Although not as famous as his 1903 Presidential Whistlestop Tour of the West, this one was quite a bit more strenuous! Even though he visited more states (25), and traveled longer (9 weeks), his number of speeches given absolutely dwarfed that of 1903 (263 vs. 673).

With the election being only a few short weeks away on November 6, many newspapers across the nation ran feature stories on the likely outcome of the election; as citizens were vitally interested in whether William McKinley would return to the White House for another term, or whether he would be displaced by the great orator William Jennings Bryan.

Photo: TR in August 1900 at Sagamore Hill, shortly before he set off on his Whistlestop Tour of 1900

Source(s): JSTOR Historic(al) Markers Wyoming Historical Society

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10/16/2026

“I am, if I am anything, an American. I am an American from the crown of my head to the soles of my feet. If I take office I will take it as a freeman, as an equal to my fellow freemen, to serve loyally, honestly, and conscientiously every citizen.”

Theodore Roosevelt spoke these words at Cooper Union Hall in New York City, on October 15, 1886. He was at the time running to be Mayor of New York. Even though he lost, it once again ignited his passion for politics and public service, as he had been living in the West since 1884.

Photo: Theodore Roosevelt in the late 1880's

Source(s): Dickinson State University American Museum of Natural History

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10/15/2026

Join us for another fun event in Oyster Bay on TR birthday week! The Friends of Sagamore Hill will be celebrating Halloween in style, courtesy of our friends Raynham Hall Museum. We will proudly be carrying the Colonel Roosevelt Rough Rider ghost puppet in the parade. If you'd like to walk alongside us in costume send us a DM directly or respond in the comments below.

There may also be room for others who would like to help carry other available non-TR ghost puppets as well, such as other Revolutionary War figures such as George Washington, members of the Townsend family, and others in the Culper Spy Ring. Be sure to contact us for more information, on participating.

And you may even get a special appearance by "The Colonel" himself, marching in the parade. Be sure to check out our story tonight for photos from last year's event. It is one of the most fun events of the year in Oyster Bay!

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10/14/2026

The second event of our TR birthday week will be a special one, as we get a behind the scenes look at the new Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in Medora, North Dakota. And leading us on this journey is one of our very own, the Senior Curator of the library, who has made so much of the magic that the public sees come to life. We are very proud to welcome Susan Sarna for this lecture!

Sue simply is one of the foremost authorities on Theodore Roosevelt in the world, with over 25 years of experience, immersed in Roosevelt history. This includes over two decades Sagamore Hill and more recently TR Presidential Library as the Senior Curator of Collections. She has managed a collection of over 250,000 objects that tell the story of TR and his family. She has lectured frequently at other institutions, has contributed to multiple Theodore Roosevelt books, and has written articles for many Roosevelt themed newsletters and academic journals. Sue has also worked on several documentaries, including Ken Burns’ series The Roosevelts: An Intimate History.

Sign up at the link in our bio for this special event! It is free and open to all. It'll certainly be a "Dee-lightfully" educational talk, and we hope that it entices you all to visit the place that I call the Walt Disney World of Presidential libraries in Medora, North Dakota.

TR Presidential Library Visit Medora Medora – ND’s #1 Travel Spot

10/13/2026

We're excited to announce several "bully" events to celebrate Theodore Roosevelt's upcoming birthday on October 27. The below is the first event on the docket.

Join us on a leisurely stroll of the beautiful Sagamore Hill grounds, under the vibrant Autumn canopy of colors, as we are led by Lois Lindberg on an educational nature walk around the property. Lois is a long time volunteer at Sagamore Hill, and is a retired Natural History Curator, where she worked for Nassau County Parks for over 40 years. Now as a volunteer of Sagamore, she is one of the foremost experts on the property, and has led and designed many environmental and nature themed programs. And having personally been on several of Lois' nature walks, I always come away having learned new things each time, and excited to get back in the woods and observe more. Her passion is certainly infectious.

Be sure to sign up today in the link in our bio! And DM me directly or feel free to ask any questions about the events in the post below.

10/02/2026

Not to speak of modern politics, but as many of you may have seen, Theodore Roosevelt is back in the world news this week. The USS Theodore Roosevelt has been spotted leaving San Diego, with its five-ship carrier strike group, and up to 10,000 troops, anticipating deployment to the Middle East.

The USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) was commissioned to active service on October 25, 1986.
The Nimitz-class, nuclear powered aircraft carrier, is the fourth ship to be named in honor of President Theodore Roosevelt. It was actually ordered by President Jimmy Carter in 1980 as a result of the Iran Hostage Crisis, which required the increased deployment of U.S. Carriers to the Indian Ocean.

The Roosevelt was officially laid down in 1981, with a cost of $4.5 billion for the most advanced technology of the day. Its’ gross tonnage is 117,200 tons, with a length of 1,092 feet, and a beam of 252 feet, a truly massive carrier. And the carrier’s radio call sign is appropriately “Rough Rider”, in honor of TR’s 1st U.S. Volunteer Cavalry unit of the Spanish American War of 1898.

The USS Theodore Roosevelt saw it’s first action during the Gulf War in 1991, and has seen subsequent action in the Persian Gulf amongst many others, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom from 2005-2006. Interestingly, this deployment was the last for the legendary F-14 Tomcat fighter jet, of Top Gun fame.

Whatever happens on the most recent deployment this week, we are wishing the USS Theodore Roosevelt, its Carrier Strike Group 9 (CSG-9), and all crew a safe return and service. Godspeed to all of them.

Photo: USS Theodore Roosevelt in the Pacific circa 2020

Source(s): USS Theodore Roosevelt US Navy United States Naval Academy CNBC

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09/30/2026