While exploring a box of political odds and ends
yesterday, I came upon what at first appeared to be a common 1-1/4” Theodore
Roosevelt pin. It’s in really poor
condition. The shell of the pin is bent.
The paper is discolored. The
celluloid has several long cracks in it.
There is a hole punched right through the knot in Theodore’s tie. At the top, is written “Our President.” At the bottom is printed “Chehalis, May 22,
1903,” which, I think, makes this pin not so common after all.
When I researched the date and location, I learned
that on May 22, 1903, during his campaign for the presidency, President Theodore
Roosevelt visited Chehalis, Washington, and gave a 15-minute speech about
hard work from atop the “McKinley Stump” at the intersection of West Street and
Market Boulevard.
Nearly 10,000 people attended, which must have made
this a big event for a fairly small town:
In May 1901, The McKinley stump was cut from a
360-year-old Douglas Fir tree near Pe Ell in May, 1901 It was transported to
Chehalis to serve as a speaking platform for President William McKinley. The
trip was cancelled when McKinley’s wife took ill. A few months later, McKinley
was assassinated, and Vice-President Roosevelt assumed the presidency.
In 2007, the stump had to be removed because it was riddled with carpenter ants and internal rotting. A replacement stump was put in place in 2008.
