Page 42 - Fall 2024 Newsletter

Teddy and Bill - A Lifelong Friendship
By Jon A. McLaughlin ‘73
I am somewhat of a history buff, and I have been
intrigued by Theodore Roosevelt and his friendship
with William Sewall of Island Falls, Maine, going back
to the establishment of Bible Point and the comradery
shown by the two complete opposite men – one
Harvard educated and somewhat sickly and the
other robust and smart in the ways of many past and
present Maine Guides. Over time I forgot about their
relationship until I tuned into a television series this
year entitled “Elkhorn” which was about young Teddy
Roosevelt establishing a cattle ranch in the desolate
Badlands of the Dakotas. It piqued my interest when
one of the main characters was Bill Sewall from Maine.
I wanted to know a little bit more about Bill Sewall and
his role in establishing a ranch in the Badlands with
Roosevelt and I came across a series of writings from a
company that specializes in men’s products from beard
oils and beard butter (yes, there is such a thing) to
coffees with a Roosevelt theme – Rough Riders Blend.
The CEO of the company did a series of podcasts
called “Thursdays with TR” and one session dealt with
Roosevelt and Sewall and times spent in the Badlands
in the late 1880’s. Here are some excerpts that I hope
make you as interested in our own Northern Maine
celebrity as I am.
“I could see not a single thing
that wasn’t fine in Theodore, no
qualities that I didn’t like. Some
folks said that he was headstrong
and aggressive, but I never found
him so except when necessary;
and I’ve always thought being
headstrong and aggressive, on
occasion, was a pretty good thing.”
– Bill Sewall, The Rise of Theodore
Roosevelt, Edmund Morris
It had been just over 6 months since the most
influential man in Teddy Roosevelt’s life had passed
away when he met Bill Sewall. Theodore Roosevelt Sr.
was the greatest man Teddy ever knew, and while the
lessons his father taught him would continue to inspire
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him and guide him until his own departure from this
world, friends of Teddy and his father were concerned
about the direction he was headed. The Harvard
influence and constant socializing with the upper-class
were turning Teddy into something his father would
not have appreciated: a pompous, affluent, arrogant
person (not the actual word Roosevelt, Sr. used). Now
that his father had passed, it was thought that Teddy
might lose his way.
It was his tutor, Arthur Cutler, who recommended
Teddy meet Bill Sewall. Sewall was a well-known
backwoodsman and guide in northern Maine
whom Cutler had hunted with. It was hoped that
the bearded, tree-felling, canoeing, rough-living,
straight-shooting, towering figure of a man that
Sewall was would be a match for Teddy. He was right.
Looks Can Be Deceiving
Dow Roosevelt and Bill Sewall at Elkhorn Ranch
Judging by Sewall’s way of living and way of dressing,
one may initially think that he was a simple-minded,
uneducated hillbilly. However, that would never make
much of a pairing for a man with the mental appetite
of Roosevelt and the friendship would have been
short-lived. In truth, Sewall, though simple in many
respects, was a lover of nature and well versed in
poetry. On the many trips down the river, through the
woods, or up the mountains, Sewall and Teddy would
recite their favorite verses. Though Roosevelt had
heard many of the stories and poems before, they took
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