Other editions of book Ranch Life and the Hunting-trail

Theodore Roosevelt Jr., (1858-1919), 26th president of the United States, from 1901 to 1909, was also a conservationist, naturalist, and writer. From 1884 to 1886, he established his ranch in Dakota Territory, which involved much hardship and toil. Ranch Life and the Hunting Trail - published in 1888 - is the account of his labors and adventures as a cowboy, hunter, herder, and even a stint as a deputy sheriff. The narrative comes alive with engaging descriptions of the inhabitants of the Badlands: the buffalo hunters, Indians, cowboys, and mountain men, as well as the changing environment as the area became more populated in that period.

No other president grew to know and love the West like Theodore Roosevelt.He acknowledged the great debt that he owed to those years he spent out west when he said, "I never would have been President if it had not been for my experiences in North Dakota."Following the disappointing 1884 presidential election Theodore Roosevelt decided to move West.He built his ranch, named Elkhorn, just north of Medora in North Dakota.It was here that he learned how to trap, hunt and survive in the wilderness like many of the great American adventurers who had travelled west before him. Ranch Life and the Hunting Trail records what Roosevelt saw, heard and did through the course of the two years that Roosevelt spent in North Dakota.The book is filled with fascinating tales such as serving for a short time as a deputy sheriff pursuing horse thieves, survive herd-killing blizzards and suffocating heat, hunting mountain goats, antelope and bighorn sheep to survive through the winter, as well as much more.Roosevelt felt very aware that the world of the far west was changing as the country became more industrialized and so sought to record the lives of the trappers, bronco-busters, desperadoes and mule-skinners, the Indians, horse thieves and vigilantes before their world completely vanished.“Ranch Life And The Hunting Trail is an evocative souvenir of a simpler America, written by the man who a few years later helped propel the country along the road to Empire.” Kirkus Reviews“the author carries the reader into the quaint ranch life of the West with an ease that makes him revel, for the time, in the glories of the mud-chinked cabins and humble fare, until the song of the meadow lark is the sweetest sound in the world.” Rollin E. Smith, The Sportsman’s MagazineTheodore Roosevelt (1858 – 1919) was the 26th president of the United States and a noted sportsman and naturalist. This book was first published in 1888. He died in 1919.

"If I had not spent my year in North Dakota, I would never have become President of the United States," declared Theodore Roosevelt. The future statesman took his first steps toward the highest office in the land in the Dakota Badlands of the 1880s, where he began his transformation from aristocrat to democrat. Roosevelt left his home in the East as Theodore, but he returned as "Teddy," a rugged outdoorsman and soon-to-be hero of the Rough Riders.Recounted with infectious enthusiasm, Roosevelt's tales range from ranching on the open plains to hunting in the mountains. His reminiscences conjure up the vanished world of the frontier, with thrilling accounts of chasing bighorn sheep and horse thieves, encountering Indians, branding cattle, and bronco busting. Roosevelt's recollections helped elevate the cowboy's image from that of an ordinary farm laborer into a figure of nobility and courage. The works of Frederic Remington, another great mythmaker of the Old West, illustrate these memoirs. Sixty-five black-and-white images by this renowned American artist complement Roosevelt's stories of freedom and self-reliance.

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In this vivid celebration of the Old West, Roosevelt recounts his ranching adventures in the Dakota Badlands of the 1880s. Beautifully illustrated with 65 black-and-white illustrations by Remington, Roosevelt's stories portray a vanished way of life — the thrill of the roundup, Indian encounters, hunting bighorn sheep, bronco busting, and much more.

Those who are interested in the novel and picturesque character of the cowboy and the cattlemen, will find much that is pleasing in Mr. Roosevelt's faithful description. The cattle country has been treated in an almost historic manner; the author carries the reader into the quaint ranch life of the West with an ease that makes him revel, for the time, in the glories of the mud-chinked cabins and humble fare, until the song of the meadow lark is the sweetest sound in the world. The sportsman will be more interested in following Mr. Roosevelt in pursuit of the big-horn sheep, the white goat or the pronghorn; and no reader who has hunted in the West will question the accuracy of scene or incident. The author has gone even further than merely to narrate his hunting experiences, for the game that he hunts is also classified from the standpoint of the naturalist. The book is pleasing to the eye, and special efforts in this direction have been made in having it illustrated by Frederick Remington. This book is worthy of a place in any sportsman's library. -Rollin E. Smith. The Sportsman's Magazine, 1897

No American president has been closer to the working life of the West than Theodore Roosevelt. From 1884 to 1886 he built up his ranch on the Little Missouri in Dakota Territory, accepting the inevitable toil and hardships. He met the unique characters of the Bad Lands—mountain men, degenerate buffalo hunters, Indians, and cowboys—and observed their changes as the West became more populated. Ranch Life and the Hunting Trail describes Roosevelt's routine labor and extraordinary adventures, including a stint as a deputy sheriff pursuing three horse thieves through the cold of winter. Whether recounting stories of cowboy fights or describing his hunting of elk, antelope, and bear, the book expresses his lifelong delight in physical hardihood and tests of nerve.

For a man who grew up to become the “Bull Moose”, Theodore Roosevelt was a sickly child, suffering from asthma and other maladies. But his physical weakness actually drove him to be more active, which also fostered an interest in nature. It also helped that Teddy’s family was wealthy, allowing him privileges including home school and the ability to attend Harvard, where he was an athlete and took an interest in naval affairs. After finishing at Harvard, Teddy entered politics, but it didn’t stop him from writing The Naval War of 1812 in 1882, establishing himself as a professional writer and historian. In the 1890s, it was Teddy’s turn to make history, leading the Rough Riders during the Spanish-American War and being decorated for his service with a Medal of Honor. He parlayed his glory into the governorship of New York and then the Vice Presidency under William McKinley. When McKinley was assassinated in 1901, young Teddy was thrust into the presidency, one that would earn him a place on Mount Rushmore, Roosevelt’s “Square Deal” domestic policies favored average citizens while busting trusts and monopolies. Roosevelt also promoted conservation as an environmental stance, while his “speak softly and carry a big stick” foreign policy is still an oft used phrase today. Roosevelt even earned a Nobel Prize during his presidency. By the time Roosevelt died in 1919, he was an American icon. Today, Teddy is remembered for being an explorer, hunter, author, soldier, president, and safari adventurer, all of which combine into one unique reputation.