Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt really needs no introduction, and no biography or summary of his life that I could include in this small space could ever possibly do him justice. As a fragile child and son of an accomplished member of the "Oyster Bay Roosevelts", Theodore began his obsession with nature at a young age, spending countless hours observing and studying all the wildlife he could get his hands on. He became a New York State Assemblyman at the age of 23, was a successful rancher in North Dakota, where he also served as a deputy sheriff (which included his legendary 3-day pursuit of a trio of boat thieves across hundreds of miles of the frozen Little Missouri River, during which he passed the time by reading Anna Karenina), served as Civil Service Commissioner, New York City Police Commissioner, Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Colonel in the US Army (where he commanded his famous Rough Riders in their charge of Kettle Hill during the Battle of San Juan Hill in the Spanish American War), Governor of New York State, Vice-President and 26th President of the United States. All the while somehow finding the time to author over 30 books and raise of family of 6 children.
The Roosevelt Family
(L to R: Quentin, Theodore, Ted Jr., Archie, Alice, Kermit, Edith, Ethel)
After Theodore's death, his cousins, Mr. and Mrs. Emlen Roosevelt, purchased large sections of the Youngs Memorial Cemetery to be used for the burial of Theodore Roosevelt's descendants. Many members of the family are buried in the Western section of the cemetery, behind the grave of Theodore and Edith. Two of their children (Archie and Ethel) are buried here, while two others (Ted Jr. and Kermit) are buried elsewhere, but have gravestone markers here.
We've included waypoints for all four of these stones. We could not find any evidence of a stone or other marker for Theodore's first child, Alice, or his youngest child, Quentin (namesake of Roosevelt Field).
How to log this cache
In order to log this cache as found, please send me answers to the below questions (Please do not include the answers in your log):
- How many total steps are there from the paved pathway leading up to the gravesite, and what is the significance of that number? (You can get this answer simply by counting, but if you're observant enough you should be able to find the answers written out nearby as well).
- While standing in front of the gravesite, you will see a fence and a gate surrounding the grave which is made up of a series of vertical bars with pointed spikes on top. How many of these bars are located on the gate? (Count only the bars which are on the gate, and which have a pointed spike at the top).
- While standing in front of the gravesite facing the grave, directly behind you, between two benches, is a large stone with an engraved plaque featuring a Roosevelt quote. What is that quote?
- Directly behind the gravesite is a small fenced section with three gravestones. While standing in front of the graves, what is the name of the individual buried at the leftmost grave? (Hint: You're looking for the person who died on August 14, 1926).
Additional Information for accessing the site and sending your answers:
- The cemetery is open from 9am - 5pm in the summer, and from 9am - Dusk in the winter. Please respect the hours of this cemetery and do not enter after hours when the gate is closed and locked. If we see anything in your logs or your answers that suggests you entered the cemetery for this cache outside of the posted hours, we will be forced to delete your log.
- My preferred method for receiving answers is via the Geocaching Messenger, but you can also send your answers through the "Send e-mail" link on my profile, or by any other reasonable method of contact, as long as the answers reach me.
- Group finds are fine. You can send your answers individually, or you can have one member of your group send answers on behalf of the whole group. If you choose the latter method, please just be sure to include the names of all members of your group.
- I will try to respond to messages as quickly as possible, but there is no need to wait for a response in order to log your find. I will follow up if there are any issues with your answers.
- Photos are welcome and encouraged, but not required. We ask only that you do not post any pictures which give away the answers to the above questions.
Virtual Reward - 2017/2018
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between August 24, 2017 and August 24, 2018. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards on the Geocaching Blog.