Theodore Roosevelt’s Book “Ranch Life and the Hunting Trail”, Signed and Dated by Him as President

No other president grew to know and love the Old West like Theodore Roosevelt, and in this book he describes life there, his work, and his extraordinary adventures

What do we really know of the life of the Cowboy and the Indian of the old frontier, the hunters and trappers, the mountain men, the sheriff and the outlaw, the Cheyenne and the Sioux, the countless other tribes of the great plains? Undoubtedly our perception of this period and these people is colored by the Hollywood vision of the cowboy folk-hero and the Indian brave, set against a spectacular natural backdrop and big skies. But for a true picture, it is necessary to go back to the narratives of people who actually experienced this life, and in Theodore Roosevelt’s book, “Ranch Life and the Hunting Trail”, we have exactly that. For TR, later to become one of the greatest presidents of the United States, was a cowboy. His was the real Wild West, as he lived it, and in Frederick Remington, Roosevelt found the perfect artist to illustrate the life he describes in his book.

Moreover, no 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, buffalo hunters, Indians, and cowboys – and observed their changes as the West became more populated. In “Ranch Life and the Hunting Trail”, Roosevelt takes us right to the cattle country of the West. His descriptions are tremendous as he travels on the range. We can see the dust of round-ups and feel the deep winter snow against our legs as he explores the frontier. We get to meet all sorts of cowboys and witness cattle activities. The book describes not only Roosevelt’s routine labor but his 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 TR’s lifelong delight in the outdoors, physical hardihood, and tests of nerve.

The book “Ranch Life and the Hunting Trail”, published in 1902 and with classic illustrations by Frederic Remington. It is signed and dated as president, “Theodore Roosevelt, January 8, 1903.” It also contains a note from progressive U.S. Senator and Roosevelt supporter Albert Beveridge, calling TR a “great man”, and gifting it to newspaperman Carroll Shaffer, whose father, John C. Shaffer, was a noted newspaper editor and publisher of the day. Beveridge is best remembered today for his classic biography of Abraham Lincoln.