Teddy Roosevelt: Cryptozoologist
Posted by: Loren Coleman on May 8th, 2010
Scott Marlowe playing Teddy Roosevelt on a recent episode of “MonsterQuest.”
I wonder what TR would have been hunting today? The Mongolian Death Worm? The last Thylacine? Sasquatch in the Canadian Rockies?
Intriguingly, I attended Theodore Roosevelt Junior High School in Decatur, Illinois, and while searching for like-minded individuals, I joined the Junior Audubon Club. I was such a cryptoanimal nerd, even way back then. What can I say? I won’t have wanted it any other way!
New York Times
March 31, 1922
ROOSEVELT WANTED TO HUNT MONSTER
Ex-President Thought of Patagonia Expedition When He Went to South America.
KEEN OVER TALE OF FIND
John Barrett Gave Him in 1903 an Explorer’s Account of Strange Amphibian.
WASHINGTON, March 30. – Theodore Roosevelt believed that there might be some huge surviving amphibian in the jungle of the Southern Andes, such as has recently been reported in cable dispatches from South America, and when he went on his expedition which discovered the River of Doubt he had some idea of looking for it.
John Barrett, late Director of the Pan American Union and Minister to Argentina during President Roosevelt’s administrations, has just disclosed that part of Colonel Roosevelt’s expeditionary plans, which hitherto are said to have been untold.
“On reading the first cabled report,” said Mr. Barrett, “that Martin Sheffield, an American of whom I have personal knowledge, had reported that he had seen what appeared to be a plesiosaurian monster, or huge amphibian, swimming in the waters of a Southern Andean jungle lake, I recalled that nearly twenty years ago, in November, 1903, when I was Minister to Argentina, a clear-headed typical American prospector and explorer, whose name I have forgotten, came to the legation. In a convincing way, he proceeded to relate to me a story almost identical with that now reported as told recently by Sheffield, to the effect that he had seen swimming in a lake a huge lizard-like monster with a curved neck.
Impressed by Prospector’s Story.
“His expert discussion of the mineral and timber resources of the Andean plateaus and timber resources of the Andean plateaus and plains convinced me of his sincerity and responsibility. He urged me to help him raise money in Argentina or the United States, preferably the latter, to outfit and conduct an expedition to locate and capture this extraordinary animal, and begged me to write to President Roosevelt about it and mention his name because he had been associated in some way with Roosevelt in the Cuban campaign.
“Although I gave him no promises, he said he would call again. Shortly afterward I wrote President Roosevelt a personal and unofficial letter referring to this incident. In about a month and a half, there came in the legation pouch a personal letter from the President written in his own handwriting, expressing real interest in the story of this American, whom he said he well remembered and asking me to get without fail in touch with him at once and ask him to write all about what he had seen.
“The man meanwhile sent word that he was off again on a mineral and timber prospecting tour in Southern Argentina and Chile, but giving no address and no names of those he might represent.
Said Fresh Tail [sic] Was Found
“In April, five months later, just before I went to Panama as first American Minister, I received a letter from the prospector written from some far away place in Chubut, or so-called Patagonia. He was almost enthusiastic in his story of how he had again found a fresh trail of a strange animal leading to the waters of a lake, although he had not actually seen again the beast as in his first experience.
“This letter I at once forwarded to President Roosevelt and I am wondering if it is still in his archives which may have been preserved. Since then I have never received any further word from or about this American prospector. Possibly he may be alive and read this and give the world some further information.
“When I returned to the United States the first salutation President Roosevelt gave me as I entered his office in the White House was: ‘Well, Old Pan-American, where is your Argentine amphibian, and what has happened to—-‘ calling the man’s name. It is my impression that Representative [Joseph] Cannon and several other Congressmen were in the room at the time and they may recall this salutation because everybody seemed amused by it.
“After the departure of the others the President for half an hour discussed, as an enthusiastic naturalist and scientist, the possibility of there being some huge surviving amphibian descended from the ancient plesiosaurians, and actually took stock, so to speak, in the story of the American prospector, whom he said he well remembered. I mentioned the incident to Secretary [William] Loeb as I left the President’s office and he may possibly recall my conversation.
Roosevelt Thought of Quest.
“Years later, when Colonel Roosevelt made his famous trip to South America, he told me confidentially just before sailing that, although he had never heard anything further from this American prospector, I should not be surprised if, after his arrival in Argentina, he decided to make a special trip of exploration to Southern Argentina and Chile in the hope of ascertaining whether there was any truth in these stories of this monster amphibian, which strongly appealed to him. He wanted nothing said about it, lest there should be ridicule if he did not succeed.
“Shortly before he left Buenos Aires for his notable and possibly fatal trip up the Parana and Paraguay Rivers into the heart of Brazil, he sent me word through a mutual Argentine friend that he had finally decided on the Brazilian instead of the Argentine expedition.
“After his return to America and when he was recovering from the poison and fever contracted in the wild, hot, tropical jungle of Brazil, I met him for a long walk, when he said: ‘Well, while I am game and glad that I discovered this unknown river in Brazil, I would probably be far better off physically if I had gone to the cooler region of Southern Argentina and Chile, and I might have found that mysterious amphibian, which would have aroused far more human interest throughout the world than an unmapped river.’
“When later [January 6, 1919] he passed away suddenly, undoubtedly as a result of the poison contracted in his Brazilian jungle travels, I could not help thinking that if he had gone after the unknown beast of Argentina, instead of the unknown river of Brazil, history might have been changed.”
Deep appreciation to Jerome Clark for passing along this story.
About Loren Coleman
Loren Coleman is one of the world’s leading cryptozoologists, some say “the” leading living cryptozoologist. Certainly, he is acknowledged as the current living American researcher and writer who has most popularized cryptozoology in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
Starting his fieldwork and investigations in 1960, after traveling and trekking extensively in pursuit of cryptozoological mysteries, Coleman began writing to share his experiences in 1969. An honorary member of Ivan T. Sanderson’s Society for the Investigation of the Unexplained in the 1970s, Coleman has been bestowed with similar honorary memberships of the North Idaho College Cryptozoology Club in 1983, and in subsequent years, that of the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club, CryptoSafari International, and other international organizations. He was also a Life Member and Benefactor of the International Society of Cryptozoology (now-defunct).
Loren Coleman’s daily blog, as a member of the Cryptomundo Team, served as an ongoing avenue of communication for the ever-growing body of cryptozoo news from 2005 through 2013. He returned as an infrequent contributor beginning Halloween week of 2015.
Coleman is the founder in 2003, and current director of the International Cryptozoology Museum in Portland, Maine.
TR remains an enigmatic force himself.
PS…looks like a typo: should ‘fresh tale’ be ‘fresh trail’?
//…names of those he might represent.
Said Fresh Tail Was Found
“In April, five months later…//
I tend to leave “typos” in original news articles, as is, especially if they are a historical item and by an author other than me. 🙂
You know, blemishes and all, that’s history.
But sometimes a “[sic]” is needed when such things are discovered, although the confusion between “tale,” “tail,” and “trail,” may have been some sort of in-joke among the newspaper writers of the day.
Which kind of monster was the one that Roosevelt was looking for? Are modern reports from it? What was its local name?
There’s a club called “Paranormal Argentina” online, they collect such stories (and believe me, there are weird ones!).
Oh yes Roosevelt Jr High Decatur, and I also was in the Jr Audubon Society club….we were the “Rough Riders” at least that is what it said on the little yearbook! Those Jr High days were full of mystery and intrigue and life courses and passions were set…we just did nt know it at the time.
It looks like the tribe needs a 24 hour fitness center down there in the jungle….
That could be a fun movie: Teddy Roosevelt: Cryptid Hunter.