theodore roosevelt

Roosevelt’s epic journey was sparked by an invitation to speak in several cities on the South American continent in the fall of 1913. Before setting out from New York, the trip turned into an expedition of the Amazon River basin, at the behest of the American Museum of Natural History, of which Roosevelt was considered a good friend and beneficiary. The museum was sending two naturalists – George Cherrie and Leo Miller – who specialized in mammals and birds, respectively. Roosevelt was to accompany them as the expedition’s leader, given what many people (and especially Roosevelt himself) considered to be his extensive experience in the wilds of the world, including on the African continent.

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