"Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal." - 16th President of the United States at Gettysburg National Cemetery, Pennsylvania 1863
US Presidents that have visited Redlands include:
#25 William McKinley
#26 Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt
#27 William Howard Taft
President McKinley (right) giving a speech at the Casa Loma Hotel near downtown Redlands (1901).
Redlands, unbeknownst to most, is rich in presidential history. While President Lincoln never visited Redlands, 3 presidents did. The first was William McKinley on May 8, 1901, four months before he was assasinated in Buffalo, New York. He arrived by train and stayed at the Casa Loma Hotel (NE corner of Colton avenue and Orange street), which was demolished in 1955 to make way for a Stater Bros. He delivered a speech from the balcony of his hotel room where he famously proclaimed “The Republic can never fail so long as the citizen is vigilant”.
TOP: Present day image of the McKinley bust (2026). BOTTOM: Ceremony of the McKinley bust unveilment by President Roosevelt (not pictured) in Smiley Park, Redlands (1903).
A bust of McKinley was unveiled on the grounds of the A. K. Smiley Public Library (built in 1898) by the second president to visit Redlands, Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt on May 7, 1903 (image above). He helped expand protections for existing national parks like Yosemite and signed the Antiquities Act, an important step toward the modern National Park System. While at the Casa Loma Hotel, Roosevelt called Redlands “a sight for the gods".
Teddy Roosevelt (center) riding on horse carriage through Smiley Park, Redlands (1903).
The final presidential visit was from William Howard Taft on October 12, 1909. According to official reports, he did not have the best of luck in Redlands. For starters, he mistook Redlands as nearby Riverside (where he famously stayed at the Mission Inn). Additionally, the car he was traveling in did not run properly and made him late for evening affairs. And, lastly, there was an ongoing fugitive manhunt so he did not stay long due to safety concerns, but did visit the Casa Loma Hotel, Smiley Heights, Prospect Park, and Library Park. Due to his relatively short visit, there are no publicly available photos of Taft in Redlands.
Redland's connection to President Abraham Lincoln
In 1931, Robert Watchorn (a Redland's resident) donated $60,000 to the city for the construction of a memorial shrine to our nation's 16th President. It was dedicated in memory of Robert's son, Emory who died at the age of 25 from complications from military service as an open-air cockpit pilot in WWI. The two shared a mutual interest in Lincoln. It is the largest memorial and research center dedicated to Abraham Lincoln on the west coast and holds one of the largest collections of Lincoln artifacts outside of Washington DC and Illinois.
The museum is open to the public (free of charge) from 1 to 5 every day, except Mondays. I highly recomend checking it out if you have a chance, there are some really beautiful murals on the ceiling and many Civil War artifacts inside.
To log a visit to this virtual cache you must complete the following tasks:
TO LOG A FIND ON THIS CACHE YOU MUST PROVIDE ME WITH YOUR ANSWERS. YOU CAN CONTACT ME THROUGH MY EMAIL OR THE GEOCACHING MESSAGE CENTER.
Note: You will only receive an email from me if I need clarification on your answers. You are free to log the cache as a find whenever you like.
1. "Preserver of the Union" on the first line of your email AND list all geocaching names of your party so I can match your answers to them. I prefer, however, that each geocacher submit their own answers.
2. Take a photo of you (or your signature item if you don't want to show your face) with the Lincoln Shrine in the background at the posted coordinates. The words "Abraham Lincoln" above the main entrance must be clearly legible in your photo. Your photo must be added to your found it log at the time you submit your log, or your log may be deleted. Each geocacher/account will need their own unique photo. No two photos may be identical! Do not send your photos through the geocaching message center!
3. Find the bust of William McKinley (see waypoint section). On the left side under his shoulder there is an inscription. What US state is mentioned?
4. Find the artillery display (see waypoint section). What is the year that is stamped on the rim? Note it is not the same year that is on the plaque.
Virtual Rewards 5.0 - 2026-2027
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between February 3, 2026 and February 3, 2027. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 5.0 on the Geocaching Blog.