Tampa Landmarks · Downtown Tampa Rough Riders Passed by HereLykes Gaslight Park, N. Franklin Street — where the regiment marched through downtown Tampa on June 3, 1898 ✦ ✦ ✦On June 3, 1898, Theodore Roosevelt and the Rough Riders disembarked from their seven-train convoy in Ybor City and passed through this very intersection in downtown Tampa — commandeering wagons to move men, horses, and equipment to their encampment one mile west. June 3, 1898 — The March Through TampaWhen the seven-train convoy carrying the Rough Riders pulled into Ybor City, Tampa was — in the words of the marker itself — "a cluster of old weather beaten houses floating on an ocean of sand." The regiment had just traveled from San Antonio, Texas, and needed to reach their encampment on the Tampa Bay Hotel Road, about a mile west of the Hillsborough River. With no formal transport arranged, the men did what Rough Riders did best: they improvised. They commandeered wagons and moved their men, materials, and animals through this intersection at N. Franklin Street — cutting through the heart of what is now downtown Tampa — on their way to the encampment where they would drill and prepare for departure to Cuba. The moment captured on this marker was part of a weeks-long, chaotic buildup in Tampa that would ultimately send the regiment aboard the S.S. Yucatan and into history. The Regiment That "Could Whip Caesar's Tenth Legion"The marker's inscription quotes a contemporary description of the Rough Riders' fighting quality — a testament to how the diverse volunteers from across America were perceived even before they had seen their first battle. The phrase became emblematic of the regiment's outsized reputation. Historical Marker — Full InscriptionMarker TextTHE ROUGH RIDERS PASSED BY HERE
(currently: Lykes Gaslight Park) On June 3, 1898, when Tampa was a cluster of old weather beaten houses floating on an ocean of sand, Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders disembarked from their seven train convoy in Ybor City, five miles from Tampa City Hall. They commandeered some wagons, and moved men, material and animals, through this intersection to their encampment on the "Tampa Bay Hotel Road," about one mile west of the river. The Rough Riders who "could whip Caesar's Tenth Legion," brought enduring fame to Tampa. Erected by the First U.S. Volunteer Cavalry Regiment – Rough Riders, Inc., Historical Committee: Dr. Jas. W. Covington, Tony Pizzo, and Hampton Dunn. Marker LocationLykes Gaslight Park — N. Franklin Street, Downtown Tampa
Coordinates: 27° 56.834′ N, 82° 27.471′ W |
