Theodore Roosevelt: The River of Doubt Expedition

Theodore Roosevelt: The River of Doubt Expedition

A year after a tough loss in the 1912 election as the Progressive Party nominee; Roosevelt decided that he would take a daring trip to Brazil to explore the River of Doubt as a way of coping with his loss. To assist him in his expedition, the Brazilian government supplied him with a guide, Candido Rondon. Before reaching the River of Doubt, the entourage had to traverse over 400 miles of land. After these hundreds of miles traveled, the journey has just begun.

Once the group finally reaches the river, the trip is anything but simple. As the group started their journey along the river, they realized that the canoes were not going to be able to carry them along the river. The group’s poor preparation for the trip left them only a few feet away from 15 feet black caiman and piranhas. Eventually, the group stumbles upon a series of rapids leading to a 30 foot waterfall that was almost insuperable. Several days after overcoming the waterfall, the local cannibalistic natives make themselves known as Rondon was hunting with his dog. The natives killed his dog and almost massacred the entire group. As the expedition dragged on, Roosevelt slips on a rock and slices open his leg and soon afterwards contracts malaria. As the journey continued Roosevelt’s condition worsened and became critical. After his injury Roosevelt requires surgery and as the doctor is operating, Roosevelt bravely faces the pain without even wincing. Shortly after all of these mishaps, the journey comes to a close once they find civilization.

Roosevelt wanted to prove to other people that he was a strong leader and man in addition to being an exceptional president. After to Roosevelt’s harrowing expedition he had never returned to his previous health. Roosevelt succeeded in charting 1,000 miles of the River of Doubt. In honor of Roosevelt’s bravery and charting of the river, Candido Rondon decided to rename the river, Rio Theodoro.