Theodore Roosevelt Visits Chehalis

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. 

An article describing the Roosevelt campaign event appears at the Washington State history site, http://www.historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&file_id=8373.