Theodore Roosevelt Artifacts in Maine

Mirror from Theodore Roosevelt's Elkhorn Ranch in North

Dakota. Wilmot S. Dow's grandson, John Dow, donated this

TR artifact along with two other precious, personal TR items to

the Presque Isle Historical Society. John Dow's father,

Wilmot E. Dow was a "Badlands Baby".  Wilmot E. Dow's father,

Wilmot S. Dow and William Wingate Sewall were Maine guides

who became lifelong friends of Theodore Roosevelt.

Image courtesy of the Presque Isle Historical Society

      New in 2022 - First Post for the Theodore Roosevelt Maine Heritage Trail June 16, 2022

      First Look at Logo - "My Debt To Maine" - Logo - Theodore Roosevelt Maine Heritage Trail 6-15-22

     The media coverage in advance of the Teddy Roosevelt Days, a fundraising event to benefit the Narcissus project at Seashore Trolley Museum, was exemplary. One of the many wonderful outcomes from that media exposure was an email from Kimberly R. Smith, Secretary/Treasurer, Special Programs and Events Coordinator at the Presque Isle Historical Society. Kimberly expressed the Historical Society's interest in exploring opportunities to collaborate with the Seashore Trolley Museum in future Theodore Roosevelt events. The Historical Society is holding, in public trust, three Theodore Roosevelt artifacts.

Lower right - Colt, long-barreled, 40 caliber revolver, used by Theodore Roosevelt.

Wilmot S. Dow's grandson, John Dow, donated this TR artifact

along with two other precious, personal TR items to the

Presque Isle Historical Society. John Dow's father, Wilmot E. Dow,

was a "Badlands Baby".  Wilmot E. Dow's father, Wilmot S. Dow,

and William Wingate Sewall were Maine guides

who became lifelong friends of Theodore Roosevelt.

Image courtesy of the Presque Isle Historical Society

Lower left in the image above is the large, leather moose call used by

Theodore Roosevelt. Wilmot S. Dow's

grandson, John Dow, donated this TR artifact along with two other precious,

personal TR items to the Presque Isle Historical Society. John Dow's father,

Wilmot E. Dow was a "Badlands Baby".  Wilmot E. Dow's father,

Wilmot S. Dow and William Wingate Sewall were Maine guides

who became lifelong friends of Theodore Roosevelt.

Image courtesy of the Presque Isle Historical Society

     Theodore Roosevelt visited Maine. Yes, there were times, when he was older, that those visits would have been made as necessitated by his politics. However, the majority of his visits were for personal gain. I speak of personal gain in the sense of his own personal health and well-being. We know Maine to be, "Vacationland",  it's "The Way Life Should Be". Maine has long been known as a place to "re-create", renew one's self, and contemplate one's purpose or direction. Whether being near the ebb and flow of the mesmerizing coastline or taking in its breathtaking vistas along so many beautiful rivers and mountains, this great state of Maine has drawn many a soul in seeking fresh air and perhaps inner guidance to a fresh start.

     It is well documented that as a youngster, TR's general health and physical strength were not good. His father, at the advice of trusted medical advisors, would send young TR out of Manhattan to the country for fresh air and exercise. This was the purpose of young TR's early visits to Maine. In the summer of 1872, TR attended a summer camp at Moosehead Lake. While on the stagecoach ride, during the final leg of the trip to the camp, he was bullied by a couple of boys who would be attending the camp. From that experience, TR pledged to himself that he would work to improve his physical strength and abilities so that he could protect himself in the future. He worked very hard, over the ensuing years, to keep the pledge he made to himself, and he did improve his health and physical strength.

     TR was an undergraduate student at Harvard University in 1878 when he visited Island Falls, Maine in Aroostook County. TR was still grieving the death of his father when he first was with Maine guides William Sewall and Sewall's nephew, Wilmot S. Dow that late summer of 1878. TR would return in February 1879 and once more in August 1879. TR recalls these visits to Maine in a letter he wrote on March 20, 1918, titled, "My Debt To Maine" by Col. Theodore Roosevelt - The opening paragraph states, "I owe a personal debt to Maine because of my association with certain staunch friends in Aroostook County; an association that helped and benefitted me throughout my life in more ways than one." This note was written by TR four months before he and his family would travel to Dark Harbor, Maine, from the home in Sagamore Hill, to grieve the death of his youngest son Quentin.

These comments have been culled from three books:
Maine My State, 1919, Written by Maine Writers Research Club
Becoming Teddy Roosevelt: How a Maine Guide Inspired America's 26th President, 2010, by Andrew Vietze
Quentin & Flora: A Roosevelt and a Vanderbilt in Love during the Great War, 2014, by Chip Bishop


Dow Genealogy courtesy of Presque Isle Historical Society:

Those two Maine Guides who worked with Roosevelt and became lifelong friends were William Sewall and his nephew Wilmot Dow.

William Wingate Sewall had a sister, Pauline
Pauline Wentworth Sewall married Oliver Smith Dow on April 18, 1853
    - had five children, including Wilmot S. Dow (he was Sewall's nephew)

Wilmot S. Dow and his wife Lizzie
    - Wilmot E. Dow, b. 08/12/1886 (Badland Baby)
    - married Katherine Stevens in Presque Isle
    - owned a drug store in Presque Isle
    - had three daughters and two sons, Wilmot S. Dow and John A. Dow, b. 1917

It was John Dow, who lived and worked in Presque Isle and served as a chair of the Chamber (of Commerce), who left the Historical Society the three artifacts.

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We continue the restoration work on the 1912, Narcissus, the only surviving high-speed, luxury interurban coach of the Portland-Lewiston Interurban. 

Click Here: Narcissus Restoration-Related Posts

Being more than a century old, the stately, "Elegant Ride," Narcissus, is a gem.  This shimmering precious stone of Maine transportation history is brilliantly resplendent as it emanates so many elements of history, including; time, places, people, and events, that it was coupled to, that when just a smattering of its seemingly innumerable stories are shared, the contents captivates, fascinates, then generates, interest to learn more 🙋. The majestic Narcissus is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Please consider joining the epic journey to complete the Narcissus Project by making a donation today!

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The restoration of this majestic icon of Maine's electric railway history is but one in a series of captivating stories containing an abundance of incredible coalition of narratives.

Click Here: History-Related Posts - Narcissus and Portland-Lewiston Interurban

     The Narcissus is featured in the national Gold Award-winning novel, Teddy Roosevelt, Millie, and the Elegant Ride. The "Elegant Ride" is the Narcissus. Theodore Roosevelt was a passenger on the Narcissus on August 18, 1914, between Lewiston and Portland, Maine, while campaigning for the Progressive Party candidates.

Click Here: Bookstores and Businesses promoting the Narcissus Project

Independent book publisher, Phil Morse, holding

the Gold Book Award Winner plaque for

 the Middle Reader category for The Eric

Hoffer Book Award. Congratulations to

award-winning Maine author,

Jean M. Flahive