Vicksburg in Warren County, Mississippi — The American South (East South Central)
Teddy Roosevelt Bear Hunt
Photographed by Mark Hilton, June 27, 2017
1. Teddy Roosevelt Bear Hunt Marker
Inscription.
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. The article said the president "did not anticipate the pleasure of killing a bear so much as the pleasure of a few days complete recreation in the woods." The guide for the hunt was Holt Collier, a scout during the Civil War and later a guide for Gen. Wade Hampton. Collier had helped kill 1000 bears, nearly 150 in a single season. On November 14, the hounds cornered a 235-pound bear. Collier tied it to a tree and called for the president. When Roosevelt arrived, he would not shoot the bear. Political cartoonist Clifford Berryman drew Roosevelt with a little bear tied to a tree with the caption, "Drawing the Line in Mississippi." Soon toy manufacturers were producing "Teddy's Bears," later called Teddy Bears. , Sponsored by International Paper
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. The article said the president "did not anticipate the pleasure of killing a bear so much as the pleasure of a few days complete recreation in the woods." The guide for the hunt was Holt Collier, a scout during the Civil War and later a guide for Gen. Wade Hampton. Collier had helped kill 1000 bears, nearly 150 in a single season. On November 14, the hounds cornered a 235-pound bear. Collier tied it to a tree and called for the president. When Roosevelt arrived, he would not shoot the bear. Political cartoonist Clifford Berryman drew Roosevelt with a little bear tied to a tree with the caption, "Drawing the Line in Mississippi." Soon toy manufacturers were producing "Teddy's Bears," later called Teddy Bears.
Sponsored by International Paper
Erected 2003 by the City of Vicksburg Riverfront Mural Committee.
Location. 32° 21.071′ N, 90° 53.029′ W. Marker is in Vicksburg, Mississippi, in Warren County. It is on Levee Street north of Clay Street, on the right when traveling south. The Vicksburg Riverfront Murals are located on the Yazoo Diversion Canal levee wall. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: Levee Street, Vicksburg MS 39183, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Natchez Trace Corridor and in Greater Jackson. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Deep South, in the Mississippi Delta, and in the Great River Road Region. Globally, it is in North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Washington Street
4. Clifford Berryman's 1902 political cartoon in the Washington Post spawned the Teddy bear.
Credits. This page was last revised on October 5, 2020. It was originally submitted on July 13, 2017, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 1,089 times since then and 95 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on July 13, 2017, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.
