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Ranch Life and the Hunting Trail
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.
210 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1888
169 people are currently reading
1087 people want to read
About the author
Theodore Roosevelt
2,334 books901 followersTheodore Roosevelt, Jr., also known as T.R., and to the public (but never to friends and family) as Teddy, was the twenty-sixth President of the United States, and a leader of the Republican Party and of the Progressive Movement.
He fathered Alice Roosevelt Longworth, a daughter.
He became the youngest President in United States history at the age of 42. He served in many roles including Governor of New York, historian, naturalist, explorer, author, and soldier (posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor in 2001 for his role at the Battle of San Juan Hill in the Spanish-American War).
Roosevelt is most famous for his personality: his energy, his vast range of interests and achievements, his model of masculinity, and his "cowboy" persona.
He fathered Alice Roosevelt Longworth, a daughter.
He became the youngest President in United States history at the age of 42. He served in many roles including Governor of New York, historian, naturalist, explorer, author, and soldier (posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor in 2001 for his role at the Battle of San Juan Hill in the Spanish-American War).
Roosevelt is most famous for his personality: his energy, his vast range of interests and achievements, his model of masculinity, and his "cowboy" persona.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
September 22, 2014
Very readable & the Colonel doesn't waste words, yet gives great descriptions & explanations. This is just one of a dozen or so books that he wrote. His study of the War of 1812 is still one of the premier naval texts.
I bought this hardback edition for a few dollars & it was money very well spent. Not only is it nicely put together, but it features engravings by Fredric Remington - excellent drawings of the subject matter.
Without some experience with horses, cattle, hunting, & riding out west, I would not have appreciated his capacity for understatement.
- It's generally a 'goodly ride' of 40 miles in 5 hours between his north & south ranch houses. (Most people would take twice that time & wouldn't be able to sit a horse for a week.)
- Being thrown by the half broken horses wasn't unusual. He picked up a couple of injuries that way. Once a broken rib & another time he broke the point of his shoulder so he couldn't lift his arm up properly. Neither injury was 'serious' nor did they stop him from working, though.
Wow. I've spent all day in the saddle on a round up, traveling cross country, & had my share of injuries due to horses dumping me. A broken rib & riding, much less working from a horse, don't go together at all. The man was inhuman.
His opinions are stated with a conviction that brook no argument. His identification with & admiration of the cowboys of the area is obvious. Both are clear in this statement, "...few of the emasculated, milk-and-water moralities admired by the pseudo-philanthropists; but he [the cowboy in general] does possess, to a very high degree, the stern, manly qualities that are invaluable to a nation."
The last half of the book was about hunting (both men & game) & not as interesting to me as the first part, but it was still very good. He has a keen eye & pen for the habits of game. The descriptions of the scenery & the hardships are wonderful, too. He never whines, but writes the gist of each hunt in a matter-of-fact manner. Staying up for 36 hours straight while bringing in 3 men who had stolen from him a week earlier or slipping from a cliff & falling through a tree while clambering after mountain goats, it's all just a part of the narrative. I had to read closely & stop occasionally just to soak in the stunning revelations.
His Wikipedia entry:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodore...
I think every western author should read this book. It would improve their writing a hundred fold. I recommend everyone else read it, too. He was definitely a man to look up to & it's less than 200 pages. You can't afford not to read this.
I bought this hardback edition for a few dollars & it was money very well spent. Not only is it nicely put together, but it features engravings by Fredric Remington - excellent drawings of the subject matter.
Without some experience with horses, cattle, hunting, & riding out west, I would not have appreciated his capacity for understatement.
- It's generally a 'goodly ride' of 40 miles in 5 hours between his north & south ranch houses. (Most people would take twice that time & wouldn't be able to sit a horse for a week.)
- Being thrown by the half broken horses wasn't unusual. He picked up a couple of injuries that way. Once a broken rib & another time he broke the point of his shoulder so he couldn't lift his arm up properly. Neither injury was 'serious' nor did they stop him from working, though.
Wow. I've spent all day in the saddle on a round up, traveling cross country, & had my share of injuries due to horses dumping me. A broken rib & riding, much less working from a horse, don't go together at all. The man was inhuman.
His opinions are stated with a conviction that brook no argument. His identification with & admiration of the cowboys of the area is obvious. Both are clear in this statement, "...few of the emasculated, milk-and-water moralities admired by the pseudo-philanthropists; but he [the cowboy in general] does possess, to a very high degree, the stern, manly qualities that are invaluable to a nation."
The last half of the book was about hunting (both men & game) & not as interesting to me as the first part, but it was still very good. He has a keen eye & pen for the habits of game. The descriptions of the scenery & the hardships are wonderful, too. He never whines, but writes the gist of each hunt in a matter-of-fact manner. Staying up for 36 hours straight while bringing in 3 men who had stolen from him a week earlier or slipping from a cliff & falling through a tree while clambering after mountain goats, it's all just a part of the narrative. I had to read closely & stop occasionally just to soak in the stunning revelations.
His Wikipedia entry:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodore...
I think every western author should read this book. It would improve their writing a hundred fold. I recommend everyone else read it, too. He was definitely a man to look up to & it's less than 200 pages. You can't afford not to read this.
July 23, 2017
I love this book. This was the perfect book to start reading while on my first visit to South Dakota and Wyoming. What a treat to have a first hand account, from a man whose face is now on Mount Rushmore, of ranching and hunting in the Dakotas. There was a time when the wild west was just that - the wild, wild west. And Roosevelt was there to give us a first hand account. He's a decent writer and chronicles a piece of American history while living it. From stampedes to catching thieves to hunting big horn sheep, this book shows the life of a cowboy in the 1880's.
December 9, 2014
It is good to stretch your reading mind with a bit of more colloquial phraseology. If you like frontier life, hunting, ranching or are from North Dakota/Montana/South Dakota, you will relate to Roosevelt's stories. His description of the people who live between the Rockies and the Missouri River is spot on, even today.
February 16, 2018
I was surprised to learn that Theodore Roosevelt was such a marvelous writer of descriptive prose. He has you right there. The scenery, mountains, canyons, bluffs, plains, wildlife, people, are so very well placed on the printed page!
I enjoyed the whole book. My favorite parts were his stories about the Indians and
also the habits of prong horned antelopes.
I enjoyed the whole book. My favorite parts were his stories about the Indians and
also the habits of prong horned antelopes.
November 12, 2023
Great book!
Like most of Teddy Roosevelt 's writing on hunting and ranching, this book was great. Cool stories about all aspects of frontier life.
Like most of Teddy Roosevelt 's writing on hunting and ranching, this book was great. Cool stories about all aspects of frontier life.
August 25, 2007
Got this one at the Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico and for the most part I really enjoyed it. This edition has terrific illustrations by Frederick Remington, a TR contemporary.
From this book I got a much clearer sense of a formative part of Roosevelt's life as well as a better understanding of what the West was like some one hundred and twenty years ago, a time when it was still arguably the "Wild West." Roosevelt writes elegantly and admiringly of the people and lifestyle of the Dakota territory, most particularly the cowboys:
"Singly, or in twos or threes, they gallop their wiry little horses down the street, their lithe, supple figures erect or swaying slightly as they sit loosely in the saddle; while their stirrups are so long that their knees are hardly bent, the bridles not taut enough to keep the chains from clanking. They are smaller and less muscular than the wielders of ax and pick; but they are as hardy and self-reliant as any men who ever breathed -- with bronzed, set faces, and keen eyes that look all the world straight in the face without flinching as they flash out from under broad-brimmed hats. Peril and hardship, and years of long toil broken by weeks of brutal dissipation, draw haggard lines across their eager faces, but never dim their reckless eyes nor break their bearing of defiant self-confidence."
It's clear that TR thinks the American cowboy (save for those occasional lapses in "brutal dissipation") to be the embodiment of his ideal of the "strenuous life." He stops short of complete hero-worship, however, and maintains a factual tone when describing the very real dangers and hardships of cowboy life. His own adventures and exploits are related in an endearingly modest way, and he seems almost eager to relate how he falls short of the mark in his four years spent as a rancher.
There are glimpses of TR's understated trademark humor as well, such as when describing the local fauna:
"Of skunks, by the way, we had last year altogether too much; there was a perfect plague of them all along the river and they took to trying to get into the huts, with the stupid pertinacity of the species. At every ranch house dozens were killed, we ourselves bagging thirty-three, all slain near the house, and one, to our unspeakable sorrow, in it."
Which brings me to another aspect of this book: TR's passionate love of the hunt. Now, I have nothing against hunters and for my part only could wish there were more local hunters thinning the local over-abundant deer. Still, it's hard to read accounts of stalking antelope or big-horn sheep when in all my travels out West I've never caught a glimpse of either in the wild, so reduced are their numbers. While TR for the most part only hunted for the meat he needed to sustain himself and his ranch hands, his hunting accounts (which comprise roughly the last third of the book) reminded me of what has been lost -- the vast herds of bison, the massive flocks of passenger pigeons, and all the bounty of the plains, with the most wary of the predators and prey now existing in isolated pockets, their former habitat reduced by the onward march of civilization.
And, for the record, fifteen pages describing the habits of the white goat of the high peaks was really more than I cared to read, though I marveled at TR's powers of observation and his enthusiasm for tracking down this elusive creature. I only wished he'd been armed with a camera rather than a rifle.
Read this book as a key to understanding both TR's character and an iconic period of the United States. It does an excellent job of shedding light on both.
From this book I got a much clearer sense of a formative part of Roosevelt's life as well as a better understanding of what the West was like some one hundred and twenty years ago, a time when it was still arguably the "Wild West." Roosevelt writes elegantly and admiringly of the people and lifestyle of the Dakota territory, most particularly the cowboys:
"Singly, or in twos or threes, they gallop their wiry little horses down the street, their lithe, supple figures erect or swaying slightly as they sit loosely in the saddle; while their stirrups are so long that their knees are hardly bent, the bridles not taut enough to keep the chains from clanking. They are smaller and less muscular than the wielders of ax and pick; but they are as hardy and self-reliant as any men who ever breathed -- with bronzed, set faces, and keen eyes that look all the world straight in the face without flinching as they flash out from under broad-brimmed hats. Peril and hardship, and years of long toil broken by weeks of brutal dissipation, draw haggard lines across their eager faces, but never dim their reckless eyes nor break their bearing of defiant self-confidence."
It's clear that TR thinks the American cowboy (save for those occasional lapses in "brutal dissipation") to be the embodiment of his ideal of the "strenuous life." He stops short of complete hero-worship, however, and maintains a factual tone when describing the very real dangers and hardships of cowboy life. His own adventures and exploits are related in an endearingly modest way, and he seems almost eager to relate how he falls short of the mark in his four years spent as a rancher.
There are glimpses of TR's understated trademark humor as well, such as when describing the local fauna:
"Of skunks, by the way, we had last year altogether too much; there was a perfect plague of them all along the river and they took to trying to get into the huts, with the stupid pertinacity of the species. At every ranch house dozens were killed, we ourselves bagging thirty-three, all slain near the house, and one, to our unspeakable sorrow, in it."
Which brings me to another aspect of this book: TR's passionate love of the hunt. Now, I have nothing against hunters and for my part only could wish there were more local hunters thinning the local over-abundant deer. Still, it's hard to read accounts of stalking antelope or big-horn sheep when in all my travels out West I've never caught a glimpse of either in the wild, so reduced are their numbers. While TR for the most part only hunted for the meat he needed to sustain himself and his ranch hands, his hunting accounts (which comprise roughly the last third of the book) reminded me of what has been lost -- the vast herds of bison, the massive flocks of passenger pigeons, and all the bounty of the plains, with the most wary of the predators and prey now existing in isolated pockets, their former habitat reduced by the onward march of civilization.
And, for the record, fifteen pages describing the habits of the white goat of the high peaks was really more than I cared to read, though I marveled at TR's powers of observation and his enthusiasm for tracking down this elusive creature. I only wished he'd been armed with a camera rather than a rifle.
Read this book as a key to understanding both TR's character and an iconic period of the United States. It does an excellent job of shedding light on both.
May 18, 2013
This was well worth the reading for a few reasons. First of all, it captures a bit of a way of life that has mournfully passed on. Roosevelt recounts the hardships and joys of his life as a North Dakota rancher and make you wish that this world could somehow be restored. Even in his time, he saw it fading away.
In his accounts he describes the nature of the land, the habits of the wildlife, and the characteristics of the men who lived there in the 1880s. I learned a few things about ranching and the habits of cattle on the life of the cowboy. Somewhere in those Saturday afternoon Western serials you will find some true elements of cowboy life, but Roosevelt's description of their tedious work takes you behind the scenes and unveils some of the wearisome toil that accompanied these rugged men.
The book also reveals Teddy's Roosevelt's personal charisma. In the frequent repetition of ideas and sudden subject shifts, you catch a glimpse of his enthusiasm for this life, his pursuit of "manliness", and his commanding personality. I can understand how you could walk into a room angry with him, ready to give him a piece of your mind, and walk out arm in arm kicking yourself for forgetting what you were going to say.
If you are an outdoorsman with an interest in hunting, you will enjoy the astute observations of the habits of elk, deer, bear, cougars, mountain goats, big horn sheep, grouse, rabbits, foxes, and wolves, as well as his description of hunting methods. If you are an historian, the book is interesting for both the light is sheds on the life of Theodore Roosevelt and on the lifestyle of the inhabitants of the Plains and Mountains in the 1880s. And if you just like to hear a tale told with enthusiasm, this book is has several vignettes that will keep your attention.
In his accounts he describes the nature of the land, the habits of the wildlife, and the characteristics of the men who lived there in the 1880s. I learned a few things about ranching and the habits of cattle on the life of the cowboy. Somewhere in those Saturday afternoon Western serials you will find some true elements of cowboy life, but Roosevelt's description of their tedious work takes you behind the scenes and unveils some of the wearisome toil that accompanied these rugged men.
The book also reveals Teddy's Roosevelt's personal charisma. In the frequent repetition of ideas and sudden subject shifts, you catch a glimpse of his enthusiasm for this life, his pursuit of "manliness", and his commanding personality. I can understand how you could walk into a room angry with him, ready to give him a piece of your mind, and walk out arm in arm kicking yourself for forgetting what you were going to say.
If you are an outdoorsman with an interest in hunting, you will enjoy the astute observations of the habits of elk, deer, bear, cougars, mountain goats, big horn sheep, grouse, rabbits, foxes, and wolves, as well as his description of hunting methods. If you are an historian, the book is interesting for both the light is sheds on the life of Theodore Roosevelt and on the lifestyle of the inhabitants of the Plains and Mountains in the 1880s. And if you just like to hear a tale told with enthusiasm, this book is has several vignettes that will keep your attention.
May 17, 2019
In this book Theodore Roosevelt writes of his cowboy days and ranch life in the Dakota’s. This amazing man wrote “Ranch Life”, published in 1888 about the experience of being a cowboy enduring the sometimes, extreme environment during the roundups and herding, and all the other disciplines of the cattle drives. What is even most extraordinary knowing the wide range of personal accomplishments that filled TR’s life this book was written strictly of his days in the Dakota’s as a rancher and hunter. He did not once mention that he had been a statesman or give any allusion to any of his many other pursuits. He did later state that, “If I had not spent my year in North Dakota, I would never have become President of the United States.”
Reading “Ranch Life” also tells me his work as an author would have been enough to have made him famous. Roosevelt’s descriptions of the cowboy life and hunting were engaging and makes the reader almost feel or envision the experiences he had. This quote from chapter four, “The Roundup” gives an example of what I mean:
“These long, swift rides in the glorious spring mornings are not soon to be forgotten. The sweet, fresh air, with a touch of sharpness thus early in the day, and the rapid motion of the fiery little horse combine to make a man’s blood thrill and leap with sheer buoyant light-heartedness and eager, exultant pleasure in the boldness and freedom of the life he is leading. As we climb the steep sides of the first range of buttes, wisps of wavering mist still cling in the hollows of the valley; when we come out on the top of the first great plateau, the sun flames up over its edge, and in the level, red beams the galloping horsemen throw long fantastic shadows.”
And summarizing the roundup he writes:
“It is superbly health-giving, and is full of excitement and adventure. Calling for the exhibition of pluck, self-reliance, hardihood, and dashing horsemanship; and of all forms of physical labor the easiest and pleasantest is to sit in the saddle.”
Roosevelt rode along side the best of horsemen and tells of his own experience during a night stampede as never having to ride so hard. He did it all. He even had to bring three thieves he apprehended in to the authorities from a great distance singlehandedly. Roosevelt detailed his hunting adventures and described the game and their habits expertly. He finishes the book in a dramatic way of tracking the great white mountain goat with patience and precision to sacking two of these most elusive creatures.
This book also was illustrated by the famous artist of the frontier, Fredric Remington. In each chapter there are several illustrations complimenting TR’s narrative. I read this book right after reading David McCullough’s, “Brave Companions” in which he wrote a chapter on Remington and referenced his work in “Ranch Life and the Hunting Trail”. So as often happens, I had to read yet another referenced book.
Reading “Ranch Life” also tells me his work as an author would have been enough to have made him famous. Roosevelt’s descriptions of the cowboy life and hunting were engaging and makes the reader almost feel or envision the experiences he had. This quote from chapter four, “The Roundup” gives an example of what I mean:
“These long, swift rides in the glorious spring mornings are not soon to be forgotten. The sweet, fresh air, with a touch of sharpness thus early in the day, and the rapid motion of the fiery little horse combine to make a man’s blood thrill and leap with sheer buoyant light-heartedness and eager, exultant pleasure in the boldness and freedom of the life he is leading. As we climb the steep sides of the first range of buttes, wisps of wavering mist still cling in the hollows of the valley; when we come out on the top of the first great plateau, the sun flames up over its edge, and in the level, red beams the galloping horsemen throw long fantastic shadows.”
And summarizing the roundup he writes:
“It is superbly health-giving, and is full of excitement and adventure. Calling for the exhibition of pluck, self-reliance, hardihood, and dashing horsemanship; and of all forms of physical labor the easiest and pleasantest is to sit in the saddle.”
Roosevelt rode along side the best of horsemen and tells of his own experience during a night stampede as never having to ride so hard. He did it all. He even had to bring three thieves he apprehended in to the authorities from a great distance singlehandedly. Roosevelt detailed his hunting adventures and described the game and their habits expertly. He finishes the book in a dramatic way of tracking the great white mountain goat with patience and precision to sacking two of these most elusive creatures.
This book also was illustrated by the famous artist of the frontier, Fredric Remington. In each chapter there are several illustrations complimenting TR’s narrative. I read this book right after reading David McCullough’s, “Brave Companions” in which he wrote a chapter on Remington and referenced his work in “Ranch Life and the Hunting Trail”. So as often happens, I had to read yet another referenced book.
April 1, 2020
I checked this book out at the library on a whim because I was walking by the shelf and it caught my eye, and I liked the illustrations, so I took it home to peruse. Then I spotted chapter that looked interesting to read (the one about Sherriff’s work), and I actually enjoyed it so much that I read another chapter that seemed interesting, and another, and eventually I ended up reading the whole book. Teddy is a surprisingly good writer and gives beautiful descriptions of the American west and frontier life. This book it, turns out, played in important role in the cowboy becoming the folk hero he is today. Theodore Roosevelt was one of the first people to explore many of these areas of the country and write about it for an educated East Coast audience, and his enjoyable prose conjures up picturesque and grand images of the far west plains and mountains just as it would have for readers 130 years ago.
March 2, 2021
The first seven chapters is some of the finest writing I've ever read on the Old West. Roosevelt was a gifted wordsmith, and his descriptions of the cowboy life are outstanding. Had it ended at the Ranch Life it would have been five stars, but the Hunting Trail was not quite as strong, and shooting animals just to kill them is outside my scope of interest. (Not hating on him for shooting elk and deer to eat. Not seeing the point of shooting a goat just to shoot it.)
I learned that cows frequently died from getting stuck in the mud, that encounters with Natives were fraught with peril, but that there were still horse races and trading with them, and that freezing to death was a very real threat. There's a neat story about two guy stuck in a cabin with dwindling food that I recommend as a short, psychological thriller.
I feel the need to re-read the first 100 pages and take better notes. This book should definitely have a larger readership.
I learned that cows frequently died from getting stuck in the mud, that encounters with Natives were fraught with peril, but that there were still horse races and trading with them, and that freezing to death was a very real threat. There's a neat story about two guy stuck in a cabin with dwindling food that I recommend as a short, psychological thriller.
I feel the need to re-read the first 100 pages and take better notes. This book should definitely have a larger readership.
November 20, 2024
Memoir of Teddy's roughly 7 years as ranchman and wild game hunter, mostly in the Bad Lands of south-central North Dakota from 1880 to 1887. My two fav. chapters cover his times in Spring round-up, and his dead-of-winter chase, capture, and long ride to the nearest sheriff and jail, whereupon he was handed $50 to cover his expenses as 'temporary deputy law man.'
It seems to me that here is where Teddy grew his cahonas sufficient to lead the Rough Riders a dozen years later, to lead with courage the country as President three years after that, and to continue his wilderness exploration after the Presidency in Africa and along the Amazon.
It seems to me that here is where Teddy grew his cahonas sufficient to lead the Rough Riders a dozen years later, to lead with courage the country as President three years after that, and to continue his wilderness exploration after the Presidency in Africa and along the Amazon.
December 26, 2020
Excellent read. Would have given it 5 stars but the subject matter, which was probably most informative to the American public back at the end of the 19th Century, is one with which we have been bombarded in the age of television. Between Westerns on TV and movies, nature shows on TV and the History Channel, we have all seen a barrage of similar information during the last 7 decades, or so. Nonetheless, the book is a great journal of Teddy Roosevelt's adventures on his ranch in the Bad Lands back in the 1880's.
June 27, 2021
Learning of life in the Dakotas in the late 1880's
It may sound boring but is not. Mr. Roosevelt expanded my vocabulary exponentionally. Loved the pace, rich and vivid descriptions of cowboys, highwaymen, ranchers and the hard life and weather they endured, day in and out. Great read.
It may sound boring but is not. Mr. Roosevelt expanded my vocabulary exponentionally. Loved the pace, rich and vivid descriptions of cowboys, highwaymen, ranchers and the hard life and weather they endured, day in and out. Great read.
March 3, 2025
I have always been a TR fan. A truly fascinating individual. His Ranch Life & the Hunting Trail are considered outdoor and western classics, with which I agree.
If half of the stories can be taken at face value as true, what an interesting couple of years TR spent in the Dakota Territory. Also, the Remongton drawings are an added bonus!
If half of the stories can be taken at face value as true, what an interesting couple of years TR spent in the Dakota Territory. Also, the Remongton drawings are an added bonus!
December 21, 2019
Day by day journey of the Roosevelt ranch
While very informative, the narrative is reather dry and unexciting . I also found his pursuit of dwindling forms of game surprising and unfortunate..
While very informative, the narrative is reather dry and unexciting . I also found his pursuit of dwindling forms of game surprising and unfortunate..
December 13, 2022
Gradebook
Interestin he was a great writer. Descriptive but kept the story moving along. Not many people in the 1800s at the opportunity to enjoy ranch life the way Teddy Roosevelt did.
Interestin he was a great writer. Descriptive but kept the story moving along. Not many people in the 1800s at the opportunity to enjoy ranch life the way Teddy Roosevelt did.
February 7, 2025
Pretty unreadable. There were a few paragraphs sprinkled in where he talked about his experience and those were great but the rest of the book felt like a textbook. I only made it through 100/150 pages
December 20, 2017
This is a really good book, well written & the pictures by Frederic Remington are beautiful! The descriptions of what live, especially hunting, was like a hundred years ago are amazing!
December 1, 2019
As a rule, I generally dislike politicians, but I may have just found one that I do like. This read has definitely encouraged me to learn more about Teddy.
December 26, 2019
Great book
Great book by my favorite president. We can all thank him for establishing our parks and public lands against fierce opposition .....
Great book by my favorite president. We can all thank him for establishing our parks and public lands against fierce opposition .....
January 24, 2020
Interesting look from roosevelt about life out west that can only be dreamed about nowadays
February 22, 2020
Great read
Great read by a great conservationist. His command of the language and familiarity of the American West makes for very enjoyable reading.
Great read by a great conservationist. His command of the language and familiarity of the American West makes for very enjoyable reading.
December 7, 2020
A little slow through some of the ranch and cattle descriptions, but picked up in the second half with more story telling.
December 30, 2020
That this man was later President of the United States... that he lived long enough to become POTUS, given his varied adventures is amazing.
The book itself is tedious at times, especially in the first half. But overall pretty entertaining.
The book itself is tedious at times, especially in the first half. But overall pretty entertaining.
January 10, 2021
A fine read on the ranching and hunting life in the Badlands of 1880's.
February 13, 2022
Now I see why people love cowboys. Thank you, Teddy, for reminding me where I came from and how beautiful life is in the Rockies.
April 9, 2022
So good!
February 14, 2023
Pretty good book if you are a fan of the Great Plains but I’ll think you’ll enjoy it even more if you are a hunter.
May 8, 2025
With all due respect to president Roosevelt this book reads like an old timer telling you stories.
Liked it but needed a break every now and then.
Liked it but needed a break every now and then.
October 19, 2020
Dated, obviously, but interesting. Primary sources from characters like this fascinate me.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews