Theodore Roosevelt is our hero. 

The 26th President of the United States was a soldier, a historian, an amateur scientist, a best-selling writer, an avid outdoorsman and much much more. He has been called the “father of conservation,” because, as president, he authorized the creation of 150 national forests, 18 national monuments, 5 national parks, 4 national game preserves, and 51 federal bird reservations. We think he deserves the moniker. 

But many people may be unaware that TR has a very important California connection. 121 years ago, in 1903, just two years after becoming our nation’s youngest president at the age of forty-two, following the assassination of President William McKinley, Roosevelt embarked on one of the most important Presidential trips in the history of America. 

In 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt embarked on a grand tour of the western United States. At the time, Roosevelt was already known for his passion for the outdoors and his desire to protect the nation’s natural resources. This trip would cement his legacy as a conservationist and lead to the expansion of America’s national parks.

The impact of his trip to California is still being felt today. 

The trip, taken by railroad, took Roosevelt across the American continent. The 3,000-mile journey began in April from Washington D.C., and took TR through twenty-five states, and lasted nine weeks. He traveled through the American West and stopped at Yellowstone National Park for a hiking and camping trip with naturalist and essayist John Burroughs. He continued on and ended up touring a large swath of the state of California, including Yosemite, which had been declared a national park in 1890. 

It was a tenuous time for the American environment. Millions of buffalo had been slaughtered across the plains, often for sport, their carcasses left to rot in the sun. The passenger pigeon, a bird that once filled the skies by the billions, had been exterminated. But America was also in the midst of a nature renaissance, and Roosevelt was one of its pivotal figures. The impact of his trip to California is still felt today. 

In California, Teddy Roosevelt’s journey was a mix of official duties and personal exploration, reflecting his dual role as a statesman and an outdoorsman. After arriving in San Francisco, Roosevelt was greeted with great fanfare, delivering speeches to large crowds and meeting with local dignitaries. His visit to the city included a tour of its bustling port, symbolizing the growing importance of California as a gateway to the Pacific. Roosevelt also visited Stanford University, where he spoke about education, progress, and the future of the American West. His time in the urban centers highlighted California’s rapid development and its significance in the nation’s expansion.

However, the most profound part of Roosevelt’s time in California came during his visit to Yosemite National Park. He met with naturalist John Muir on May 15th, 1903. The meeting took place on a train in the dusty town of Raymond, California, the closest station to Yosemite.  From there, the men traveled 40 miles (about 8 hours) by stagecoach, which gave them the opportunity to get acquainted.  They stopped in Mariposa Grove, where TR saw his first sequoia and had his picture taken driving through the “Tunnel Tree,” which no longer stands.  

That first night, President Roosevelt dismissed his aides and the press, which was unusual for him because he was a publicity hound. In the wilds of Yosemite, he and Muir spent three days “roughing it,” camping beneath the stars and enjoying conversation around a campfire. It was during those conversations that Muir made the case for the preservation of forests and other natural resources. Likely, these talks created the impetus for Roosevelt’s support for the 1906 Antiquities Act, arguably one of the most important pieces of conservation law in the United States.  With the power to proclaim lands as monuments in the public interest, Roosevelt in 1908 set aside some 800,000 acres as Grand Canyon National Monument. Congress later gave it a national park status.

Arguably, no other President has had such a singular impact on protecting American lands, and it’s fair to say, we think, that his visit to California had a lot to do with it. 

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