Teddy Roosevelt Bear Hunt

On November 12, 1902, the Washington Post reported that President Theodore Roosevelt was headed to Smedes, Mississippi, 25 miles north of Vicksburg, for a 4-day bear hunt, saying he looked forward less to killing a bear than to enjoying a few days of complete recreation in the woods. The hunt was guided by Holt Collier, who had served as a scout during the Civil War and later as a guide for Gen. Wade Hampton, and who had helped kill 1000 bears, nearly 150 in a single season. On November 14, the hounds cornered a 235-pound bear, and Collier tied it to a tree and summoned the president. When Roosevelt arrived, he refused to shoot the bear. Political cartoonist Clifford Berryman then drew Roosevelt with a little bear tied to a tree under the caption, "Drawing the Line in Mississippi," and toy manufacturers soon began producing "Teddy's Bears," later known as Teddy Bears.

Vicksburg, Mississippi · United States