The Town of Newcomb will celebrate author, statesman, naturalist and historian Theodore Roosevelt at the annual TR Weekend, September 11-13, 2015.
The event includes re-enactors portraying TR (Joe Wiegand) and his mother, wife, two daughters, and niece (portrayed by five Newcomb Central School seniors). Also scheduled are free guided tours by horse-drawn wagon of Great Camp Santanoni, a bike tour of the Essex Chain Lakes, tours of the Upper Works mining area, a woodsmens’ demonstration, fishing tournament and other events for children, an ice cream social, and fireworks. “Meet The Roosevelt Women” will take place on Saturday at 6:30 pm at the Newcomb High Peaks Overlook on Route 28N.
Teddy Roosevelt served as the 33rd Governor of New York State the 26th President of the United States and had a long association with the Adirondacks.
In 1877, Roosevelt’s first published work, “The Summer Birds of the Adirondacks in Franklin County, N. Y.”, included a list of birds observed near Paul Smiths, on three birding trips in in 1874, 1875, and 1877.
TR was below the summit of Mount Marcy at Lake Tear of the Clouds in 1901 when the 42-year-old Vice-President learned that President William McKinley was dying from gunshot wounds suffered a week early. Roosevelt made a nighttime journey to the North Creek train station, where he learned McKinley was dead and he was the nation’s new President.
In 1999, an unnamed peak near Tabletop Mountain was named TR Mountain in Roosevelt’s honor. At 3,820 feet, it is the 61st highest peak in the Adirondacks.
More information about Newcomb’s TR Weekend can be found online.
Newcomb was established in 1828 in the “Center of the Adirondack Wilderness” 0n land used by both the Algonquin and Iroquois people. Today, Newcomb remains a year-round playground with access to hundreds of miles of trails and access to publicly-owned lakes and rivers. Facilities for hiking, camping, swimming, canoeing, kayaking, biking, horseback riding, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, and cross-country skiing, and snowmobiling can all be found in the Town of Newcomb. To learn more about Newcomb visit discovernewcomb.com.
Was Roosevelt actually sworn in at North Creek? Or just informed that he was President?
Hey Matt,
It’s a good question. Short answer is he was sworn in in Buffalo.
Long answer is TR was heading south towards North Creek but still in the town of Newcomb* when McKinley died, so TR became acting President in the Newcomb. He knew nothing of this obviously until he reached the station in North Creek where he was handed the telegram informing him of McKinley death. so he first learns he is president in North Creek, and then he proceeds to Buffalo where he is formally sworn in.
*While there is some dispute about where on the road exactly he was when McKinley died, we know the times logged on “The Midnight Ride,” which helps project where TR was approximately at the time of McKinley’s passing.
Beginning with their departure from the Upper Works, arrival and departure after changing horses at the Lower Works, and the same at Aiden Lair, it was determined how far and how fast they were traveling. Extrapolating from that information places TR pretty near where the monument commemorating the event is currently located on 28N.
I’ve made the correction – thanks everyone.
John