presidents

This photo has some serious mistakes in its information. First of all the photo was taken at Wichita Falls Union Station which was not even constructed until 1910, so there is no way that this photo was taken in 1905. In 1905 the FW&D used its own station which was at Seventh Street. The crowd is standing at the end of Ninth, two blocks from where the 1905 depot was. Next, note that it appears to be a silver lightweight car, possibly a Budd streamlined car third car from the end of train. The FW&D owned no such lightweights until 1940 and the Burlington as a whole had not adopted anything silver (paint or stainless steel) until after 1936. Lastly the photo caption says that this was President Theodore Roosevelt on his way to a Rough Rider reunion in San Antonio. However the train is headed northbound, away, from San Antonio as no train headed to San Antonio would be northbound when passing thru Wichita Falls. Therefore, if this is a photo of President Roosevelt at Wichita Falls, I strongly believe that this is President Franklin Roosevelt, not Teddy.

Steve Goen You are indeed correct, this is Franklin Delano Roosevelt, not Theodore Roosevelt in the photograph. We have made the appropriate changes both on here and on our main site. We appreciate hearing about the history of these items!

awesome

. The embossed "DO NOT REMOVE" amounts to vandalizing one's own collection. .

sixpounder Thank you for your interest! SMU’s libraries obtain items from various sources, and as a result they show varying levels of wear and use, gained over the course of their lifetime. In this case the photograph arrived with the pre-existing embossed text: File Copy Do Not Remove. Please be assured, our curators take every step possible to ensure that the life of these items is extended through careful preservation, so that future generations may be able to enjoy them.

The library's online exhibit is fascinating. I had not seen most of these photos of TR anywhere else. Not for one moment did I suppose SMU curators were culpable for the embossed labels--which in many instances were stamped directly on the president's face. That was beyond stupid. Had me shaking my head in disgust. . .