Through The Brazilian Wilderness

Originally published: New York: C. Scribner's Sons, 1914.

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Theodore Roosevelt was a naturalist, explorer, author, hunter, Governor, soldier and 26th President of the United States. In 1913 he joined with Brazilian explorer Candido Rondon to explore portions of Brazil and to bring back animal specimens for the American Museum of Natural History.The final portion of the adventures was the examination of the River Of Doubt, a river never before charted and whose exploration nearly resulted in the death of the PresidentThe President describes his adventure and its outcome in ten chapters and 3 appendices: Chapter 1: The Start; Chapter 2: Up The Paraguay; Chapter 3: A Jaguar Hunt on the Taquary;Chapter 4: The Headwaters of the Paraguay; Chapter 5: Up The River of Tapirs; Chapter 6: Through The Highland Wilderness of Western Brazil; Chapter 7: With a Mule Train Across Nhambiquaraland; Chapter 8: The River of Doubt; Chapter 9: Down An Unknown River Into The Equatorial Forest; Chapter 10: To The Amazon And Home-The Zoological and Geographical Results of the Expedition; Appendix A: The Work of the Field Zoologist and Field Geographer in South America; Appendix B: The Outfit For Traveling In The South American Wilderness; Appendix C: My Letter of May 1 to General Lauro Muller; A Spoken Word: a new and iriginal overview of the adventures written by Andre Stojka, exclusive to this recording

What happens when two great public figures, historical figures from the United States and Brazil, come together to undertake a bold and dangerous adventure: an expedition through the Amazon jungle in regions never before traversed by man? This is the story of the Roosevelt-Rondon Expedition, carried out between 1913-1914. Rondon had discovered the River of Doubt on a previous expedition and, together with Roosevelt, led a new endeavor to explore the long course of the "River of Doubt," later renamed the Rio Roosevelt. Upon returning, weak and ill but alive, Theodore Roosevelt wrote the book Through the Brazilian Wilderness , detailing all the specifics of the perilous adventure in the Amazon jungle. Through the Brazilian Wilderness is an epic adventure, narrated by one of its protagonists. It is an exciting read from beginning to end.

"Through the Brazilian Wilderness or My Voyage Along the River of Doubt" is Theodore Roosevelt's narrative of his expedition into the Brazilian jungle in 1913. Teddy Roosevelt was a man's man. A New York kid whose taste for adventure was sparked in his boyhood by a dead seal for sale on a Broadway sidewalk. Harvard student, soldier, Rough Rider, youngest President ever and one who survived the assassin's bullet, maverick politician, Nobel Prize winner, hunter and conservationist, and finally the man who, at 55 years old, explored an unknown region of the Amazon river basin. Imagine one of today's former-Presidents undertaking a similar adventure. For six weeks, in 1914, Roosevelt and his party paddled and carried their canoes down a previously unexplored 950-mile river now called the Rio Roosevelt. Men died, boats were lost, food became scarce, dangerous animals and natives were about, fever borne by insects sickened many in the party (and led to Roosevelt's own death five years later). This is the stuff of "Through the Brazilian Wilderness or My Voyage Along the River of Doubt." Theodore Roosevelt was truly a unique, gifted and accomplished person. If he had followed the interests of his youth, he would have grown up to be a naturalist rather than President of the United States. As a boy he had a vast collection of frogs, squirrels, snakes, birds, insects that he called the Roosevelt Museum of Natural History. Science's loss was politics gain. However, T.R. never lost his interest in nature. Following his presidency, he set out on an expedition to explore and map unknown regions of Paraguay and Brazil on the 950-mile "River of Doubt," a previously unexplored tributary of the Amazon River.

This is an account of a zoographic reconnaissance through the Brazilian hinterland.' (Theodore Roosevelt) In this book Theodore Roosevelt describes the scientific discovery, scenic tropical vistas, and exotic flora and fauna experienced during the Roosevelt-Rondon Scientific Expedition into the Brazilian jungle he attended in 1913. Roosevelt was one of the most famous presidents of the United States of America. But his achievements as a naturalist, explorer, hunter, author, and soldier though are as much a part of his fame as any office he held as a politician.

After losing his bid for the United States Presidency as a third party candidate Theodore Roosevelt decided to take on the most dangerous adventure left on earth. He and his son Kermit accepted Candido Mariano da Silva Rondon's invitation to help him plot the course of the River of Doubt. The River of Doubt could just as easily have been named the River of Death. The river's rapids turned out to be much more ferocious than expected cannibalistic natives dogged the group through most of the journey and Murphy was their constant companion. The expedition lost men supplies and canoes. At one point Roosevelt contracted a flesh-eating bacteria and became so weak that he urged his son to leave him behind to die. Ultimately Teddy and Kermit emerged from the wilderness triumphantly. Here is their story in Theodore Roosevelt's own words.

In 1914, with the well-wishes of the Brazilian government, Theodore Roosevelt, ex-president of the United States; his son, Kermit; and Colonel Rondon travel to South America on a quest to course the River of Doubt. While in Brazil, Theodore is also tasked with a "zoogeographic reconnaissance" of the local wilderness for the archives of the Natural History Museum of New York. In addition to the perils of the incredibly difficult and dangerous terrain, the river was nicknamed "The River of Death" as a testament to its ferocious rapids. Covering a previously undocumented area of South America, this expedition would be a momentous undertaking and fraught with danger. The expedition, officially named Expedic�o Scientific Roosevelt-Rondon, was not without incident; men were lost, a cannibalistic tribe tracked the group, and at one point Roosevelt contracted flesh-eating bacteria. In the end though, the Roosevelt-Rondon expedition was a success, and the River of Doubt was renamed the Rio Roosevelt in his honor. Written by a city-born boy who grew up to be a true explorer and leader, Roosevelt's Through the Brazilian Wilderness is a unique and important part of history, and it is indicative of the ex-president's true wanderlust and bravery. Candid black-and-white photos from the expedition fill the pages, adding further dimensions to this remarkable journey. Through the Brazilian Wilderness is an engaging must-read for historians, Roosevelt fans, and modern-day explorers alike.

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • At once an incredible adventure narrative and a penetrating biographical portrait—the bestselling author of River of the Gods brings us the true story of Theodore Roosevelt’s harrowing exploration of one of the most dangerous rivers on earth. “A rich, dramatic tale that ranges from the personal to the literally earth-shaking.” —The New York Times The River of Doubt—it is a black, uncharted tributary of the Amazon that snakes through one of the most treacherous jungles in the world. Indians armed with poison-tipped arrows haunt its shadows; piranhas glide through its waters; boulder-strewn rapids turn the river into a roiling cauldron. After his humiliating election defeat in 1912, Roosevelt set his sights on the most punishing physical challenge he could find, the first descent of an unmapped, rapids-choked tributary of the Amazon. Together with his son Kermit and Brazil’s most famous explorer, Cândido Mariano da Silva Rondon, Roosevelt accomplished a feat so great that many at the time refused to believe it. In the process, he changed the map of the western hemisphere forever. Along the way, Roosevelt and his men faced an unbelievable series of hardships, losing their canoes and supplies to punishing whitewater rapids, and enduring starvation, Indian attack, disease, drowning, and a murder within their own ranks. Three men died, and Roosevelt was brought to the brink of suicide. The River of Doubt brings alive these extraordinary events in a powerful nonfiction narrative thriller that happens to feature one of the most famous Americans who ever lived. From the soaring beauty of the Amazon rain forest to the darkest night of Theodore Roosevelt’s life, here is Candice Millard’s dazzling debut. Look for Candice Millard’s latest book, River of the Gods.