After more than 80 years with Coot-dominance, dramatic changes came to Duckburg a short time into the new century. When this chapter starts in the spring of 1902 Scrooge McDuck - the new Scottish owner of the ten-acre Killmule Hill with Fort Duckburg, arrives the Village together with his two sisters. Don Rosa shows that until $crooge moved there in 1902, there was hardly anything there, and not more then a few dozen residents.

McDucks in Duckburg


Illustration 4.1 - The arrival of the McDucks in Duckburg.

At the arrival in Duckburg McDuck and his sisters first entered the Ducks' farm to ask about the location of McDuck's new property. Due to some trouble with McDuck's car when he tried to drive it up Killmule Hill, the hill was renamed "Killmotor Hill". The old name seems to indicate that a mule has once collapsed there. Maybe when someone tried to reach the fort in a hurry, escaping from an Indian attack or something? No place-names seems to have survived from the time of the first garrison in the late 1500s, so the name Kill Mule Hill most likely has it's origin in 1800's. Maybe back to the years of the last British garrison, but most likely it was introduced by Cornelius Coot or another early pioneer.


Illustration 4.2 - The McDucks crashes into the maize in the Duck-farm.


Illustration 4.3 - The meeting of Hortense McDuck and Quackmore Duck.

During the events following the breakdown of McDuck's car and its damaging of some of the corn plants belonging to the local Duck family, a meeting that would later connect the Coots and the McDucks occurred as McDuck's sister Hortense McDuck and Clinton Coot's daughter's son Quackmore Duck first met and fell in love.


Illustration 4.4 - Elvira "mother" Duck tell McDuck about the fort.
Illustration 4.5 - McDuck's first inspection of his new property.

As soon as the McDucks arrived the fort, $crooge ordered the Junior Woodchucks who were using it as their headquarters, to leave his property immediately. Among those JW was a young boy named Fulton Gearloose. The other two is most likely identical with the two JWW-pioneers Osborne and Taliaferro who are mentioned in "W.H.A.D.A.L.O.T.T.A.J.A.R.G.O.N.".

Shortly after the arrival of the McDucks to Duckburg, the Beagle Boys - $crooge's old enemies from the time he sailed the Mississippi, now living outside Duckburg - made an attempt to rob $crooge for all his money.

Trouble from Washington DC


Illustration 4.6 - President Theodore Roosevelt is warned about the new situation that has occurred in Duckburg, Calisota.

Meanwhile the JW had told President Teddy Roosevelt about the "intruder" in Fort Duckburg. Roosevelt that feared big business, foreign interference and military threats against the shores of the USA immediately responded by mobilizing a part of the navy and the "first volunteer cavalry" unit (the "Rough Riders") in order to meet the supposed threat with decisive force.

The charge-up Killmotor Hill


Illustration 4.7 - US forces ready to attack Killmotor Hill.


Illustration 4.8 - The charge-up Killmotor hill.

In the middle of the robbery, the fort was thus attacked by Roosevelt and his forces. In lack of other weapons McDuck teared down parts of the rotten fort and then thrown it against the attackers.


Illustration 4.9 - The counter attack of Hortense McDuck.


Illustration 4.10 - The meeting of $crooge McDuck and Teddy Roosevelt.

During the battle the "Rough Riders" had to redraw due to a fierce counter attack by Hortense McDuck. The battle however ended when $crooge McDuck and his old friend from Montana, now president, Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt met face to face in the ruins of the fort. Thanks to the arrival of Roosevelt and his forces the Beagle Boys' robbery was avoided and the Beagle Boys were arrested. After this there was no new confrontation between McDuck and the Beagle Boys until 1947.

Biography:

President of the USA (the 26th) from 1901 until 1909. In the mid-1880s he stayed a period in Dakota. During a visit to the Badlands in 1884 he and $crooge McDuck met for the first time.

At the outbreak the Spanish-American war in 1898 he was Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Volunteer Cavalry (the "Rough Riders"). He was later promoted to colonel. During this war he lead the heroic charge-up Kettle Hill in the battle for San Juan on July 1st 1898.

In 1902 he mobilized the "Rough Riders" again, this time to face a new threat towards the coastline of Calisota. This battle "The charge-up Killmotor Hill" ended when he and his old friend $crooge McDuck finally met again, face to face.

In 1906 he went abroad, as the first American President in office, to Panama to inspect the excavations for the Panama-canal. There he met Scrooge McDuck and his sisters again, and ended up "borrowing" a US steam-shovel to help Scrooge to search for gold, all this in order to keep the excavation on schedule. Finally he got the rights to dig through Scrooge's area in exchange for the first teddy-bear (it was named after him as he used to be nicknamed Teddy) in the world, which was sent to him by its inventor in order to get approval to produce those for commercial sales.

After 1909 he made several attempts to return to the White House, but never succeeded. He died in 1919, only 61 years old.

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