DEL NORTE – The Rio Grande County Museum was standing room–only Friday night for the presentation by Andrew Gulliford, “A Night with Teddy”. Patrons from all over the Valley ventured out into the wet, and sometimes snowy conditions to Del Norte for an evening of history wrapped around the renowned past of President Theodore Roosevelt.

Gulliford is a professor of history and social sciences from Ft. Lewis College near Durango and has been a steady supporter of the Rio Grande County Museum for years. Gulliford is an award-winning author of several books including “The Wooly West,” and more based on a wide range of topics.

Gulliford began his presentation diving into the youth of Roosevelt and how his adventurous spirit and obsession for taxidermy shaped him into the man he would become. As the soon to be president became a young man, he found himself in the throes of New York politics, paving his path to become one of the youngest presidents in US history.

“Theodore Roosevelt, my favorite president of all time, was a character, a westerner, he believed in patriotism, western expansion, America’s power in the world and he said ‘To bear the name American, is to bear the most honorable of titles and whoever does not so believe, has no business to bear the name at all.’”

One of the highlights of the night was when Gulliford told the tale of the infamous Teddy Bear and how it came to be called its name in honor of the president. According to the story over time, “Teddy” Roosevelt was in Mississippi hunting bears and was not having much luck.

As a way to try and help, one of his companions found a young sow bear and tied it to a tree for the president to shoot. Roosevelt was appalled by the thought and stood away from the animal with his hand raised in a gesture of defiance. This image was captured by a cartoonist at the time and was published in the paper.

A Russian toy maker sees the cartoon and writes the president asking for permission to create a bear child’s toy. The president responds stating, “I don’t think my name will ever be associated with a child’s toy but sure, go ahead.” And hence the Teddy Bear was born.

The evening ended with a presentation by Rio Grande County Museum director Lyndsie Ferrell on Roosevelt’s involvement designating the Wheeler Geological Monument in 1908. The monument was the first for the state of Colorado and the last for Roosevelt as he left office the following year.

Wheeler Geological Area was discovered by Col. George M. Wheeler who was a geologist on a team that started a southwestern geological survey for the US Army in 1870. Wheeler discovered the location in 1874 and was quoted saying, “It was an alien landscape of geological wonder. It was beautiful and terrifying to behold.”

Wheeler National Monument was delisted in 1950 by President Harry Truman because it was so difficult to reach and it eventually became the Wheeler Geological Area in the La Garita Wilderness and Rio Grande National Forest.

The evening was a success and kicked off the 2026 season for the museum. To stay up to date on future events, visit www.riograndecountymuseum.org or by following them on Facebook under Rio Grande County Museum and Cultural Center.