the River of Doubt

Teddy Roosevelt is getting a bad wrap

Theodore Roosevelt, a man's man and probably the best president the United States of America has ever had, continues to get a bad wrap for his Amazon expedition of 1913. Many who have written about it have attributed to him a carelessness, an almost cavalier type of attitude towards this journey of exploration. Balderdash. That's what I say. Teddy was an extremely experienced outdoors-man and hunter and a man of significant intelligence to boot so why anyone would think of him as a bumbling incompetent is simply beyond my ken. But judge for yourself, read the accounts of the trek, including Teddy Roosevelt's own journal of the trip, and see what you think. Make up your own mind and let me know what you think by taking the poll at the bottom of this article.

Some writers and reviewers seem to think that Teddy, a Rough Rider by the way, had his feelings so injured by his 1912 election defeat that he skulked off to South America to suck his thumb and cry, perhaps whilst curled up into the fetal position. They blame this emotional distress for his 'poor preparations' in the Amazonian expedition.

I'll say it again, Balderdash. Tough as iron, Teddy didn't scurry off to lick his political wounds. Was he perfect in his outfitting this expedition or in some of the choices he made? No. But let's not forget two, very important and inescapable facts. One is that Roosevelt was accompanied by Brazil's most famous explorer, Cândido Mariano da Silva Rondon. A man with extensive knowledge and first hand experience in that part of the world. And secondly, the expedition accomplished it's goal, to map a previously unexplored region of the Amazon. If Teddy was as ill prepared as many have claimed then the death toll among these explorers would have been significantly higher than what it was. Exploration, especially in Teddy's time, was a dangerous business. If it was easy, everyone would have been doing it.

Would T.R really have taken his 24 year old son, Kermit, along without planning the expedition thoroughly? Was he really that kind of man? I doubt it. There are criticisms to be made of certain decisions, to be sure, but the overall truth is that the company was well prepared for the task at hand. Remember, it was a feat so unbelievably difficult that, when Teddy's expedition had successfully completed the trek, many believed it was a hoax!

Were there poor choices concerning the canoes? Absolutely. But then it's easy to say that from the comfort of my boat on a sunny day in San Diego. Others have also second guessed and criticized Roosevelt on this score but I think we should be applauding him for showing grit. Instead of turning tail when things became difficult, Teddy forged ahead and, in the end, achieved the goal set him. Intelligent tenacity is how I would describe this characteristic and I wish more presidents (and people) possessed it.

For those that insist that Roosevelt's expedition was hastily put together and poorly planned, I would like to remind them that he was accompanied by Rondon, one of the greatest, toughest and hardy explorers ever to hack his way through the jungle. Rondon's achievements are so awe inspiring that it is impossible to over state them. The hardships he personally endured were beyond belief so to suggest that this exceptional man entered the Amazon without proper preparation is an injustice to him.

Read about this captivating man and his epic accomplishments to give yourself a better understanding of the kind of men that Roosevelt had with him on his Brazilian expedition. Ill prepared? I think not.

Formerly known as The River of Doubt, this Brazilian tributary of the world famous mighty Amazon river was renamed the Roosevelt River after Theodore Roosevelt's harrowing journey. Roosevelt's expedition, including Brazil's most famous explorer, Candido Rondon, mapped nearly 1,000 miles of the treacherous river.