T. Roosevelt expedition

After an embarasing loss in the presidential election, Theodore Roosevelt was given the chance to speek in Caracas, Venezuela. This let him escape the embarrasment back home. Once he arrived, the Brazilian minister of foreign affairs confronted Roosevelt about the chance to explore an uncharted river, The River of Doubt, through the heart of the Amazon jungle. The trip started on December 9, 1913. A bad time to start, being at the height of the rainy season. The trip would be a 900 mile trek and a 40 day excursion just to get to the river, then the rest of the journey would be in dugout canoes on the river. Roosevelt and his men, including his 24 year old son, Kermit, teamed up with Brazil's most famous explo0rers of the time. The first casualty came on March 15 when one comrade drowned trying to save an overturned canoe. The harsh rapids tossed and scattered precious food rations and the men were forced to forage and hunt for food, monkey meat becoming the main staple. Along with a lack of food, the men faced fever and painful insect bites. At one time, Roosevelt had a severely infected cut on his leg, and a soaring fever in the 105 degree humid air. Before the expedition was over, the men would face deadly rapids, Indian attacks, disease, starvation, and murder within themselves. The explorers finally reached the end of the river and arrived in the city, San Joao on April 27, 1913, nearly 5 months after the journey started. The trip was considered a success, providing necessary information to map the river. Over 2,000 species of birds and 500 mammals had been collected for further study. The river was renamed Roosevelt River by the Brazilian government. Roosevelt never fully recovered his prior health and had recurring malaria until he died in 1919.