October 8th, 1912 the Copper Country was anxiously awaiting the arrival of....President Theodore Roosevelt.
The following day Roosevelt would be making stops in Houghton and Calumet....he was campaigning for a 3rd term.
After traveling 20 hours by train he arrived on-schedule, at the Mineral Range Depot in Red Jacket at 10 p.m. To say he was exhausted was probably an understatement. He was greeted by an enthusiastic crowd of around 3,000!
Roosevelt was interested in nature, hunting, and the copper mining industry. He stayed with copper baron Capt. Thomas Hoatson, at his home at 320 Tamarack St in Laurium, where I'm sure he felt at home with the elephant hide wall coverings--which you can still see today! The Hoatson's residence is now the Laurium Manor Inn.
Only 5 days after his campaign stop in Calumet, Roosevelt's life nearly came to an end. While in Milwaukee, he was shot by John Flammang Schrank. The bullet entered Roosevelt's chest after "penetrating his steel eyeglass case and passing through a thick single-folded copy of the speech titled "Progressive Cause Greater Than Any Individual" which he was carrying in his jacket."
Astoundingly, Roosevelt assured a stunned crowd of onlookers that he was okay and urged them not to cause his attacker any harm. Being an avid hunter, he assumed (correctly) that since he wasn't spitting up blood, the bullet didn't enter his lungs so he decided to decline a hospital visit. Instead he again stunned everyone by insisting he go and deliver his speech!
"Friends, I shall ask you to be as quiet as possible. I don't know whether you fully understand that I have just been shot."
For NINETY minutes he spoke with blood soaking thru his shirt; and shaking his head at his support staff who were begging him to stop and let them take him to the hospital. Finally, he agreed to seek medical attention. The bullet was lodged in his chest and surgeons agreed it was best to let it stay where it was--and so it remained for the rest of his life.
Roosevelt lost the election to Woodrow Wilson.
President Teddy Roosevelt remains the youngest person to ever, at 42, become President, having assumed the role after President McKinley was assassinated.
Do you know any other U.S. Presidents that have visited the Copper Country...or the U.P. ? 🇺🇲
Very informative article. Thank you.