Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1902-01-03
JANUARY 3, 1902.
THEopoRE ROOSEVELT.


acteristics as n lTanchman. correcting
incidentally in the telling many err
roneous Impressions which have been
given about Mr.. Roosevelt's PERSONAL
ity. 1t was ONE day In september
1883. when Mrl Roosevelt, tnen
young man of %, stepped IRON trans
continental train on the Northern Pa
cifc road at MedPra, N. ID. ms was
his first Introduction to the country of
the far West. Nedora is a Northern
Pacific town, nestled among the shad'
ows of tbe Rad Lands hills. The
Northern Pacific railroad was then I'M
der construction, and there was a
string of long. low buildings at Medora
occupied by the United States troops
who were guarding the construction
crew against the attacks of predatory
Indians. Roosevelt had gone out to
this wild country to hunt big game in
the Bad Lands. Joseph Ferris, a
young Canadian and an experienced
plainsman. was one of three young
men resident in Medora. who after
ward came to know Roosevelt init
mately through their business assuci-
alton with him as a ranchman Mr..
Ferris says of Roosevelt:
"He was then % Years Of age, only
a few years out of college. Of spare
build. medium height. modest in de.
meanor. quiet, resoute and with q
keen enjoyment of life in the open.
His principal object in coming to Me
dora at that time VS. for the rccre-
alton that hunting affords to those
who enjoy the chase of big game.
He was not and has never been the
Theodore Roosevelt who has been
pictured as a wild cowboy and dare
devil plainsman. H. was courage
Gus without recklessncss. firm without
being stubborn. resOlute without be-
ing obstinate. a keen admirer of ma
ture. with a healthy taste for sport.
There was no element Of the spectac-
ular in his makeup, but an honest
naturalness that won him friends in
stantly among the rough frontiersmen.
who do not ordinarily strike up warm
friendships with 'tenderfoots Mr.
Ferris. who still lives at Meiora. and
has been a warm personal friend of
Roosevelt from the time he first met
him on that buffalo hunting eX-
dition is years ago adds:
'He was a slender young fellow. and
had my doubts whether he could
stand the long trip To be honest
about it, ! expected to have 20 take
care of him on the trip-sadile his
| horse show him the customs of the
| plains, see that he got his Ib reg
| ularly and the other little things that
come up on a hunting trip Of that kind.
| | soon found out that | was m staken
| in my man He was able Ia 10 for
| himself at every turn Who're he
| learned to ride horseba K don't
| know. but / do know that j.. rode as
we'll or better than ! did End could
stand more knocking about than |
| could"
During this hunting trip Mr..
| Roosevelt fell in love with the wild
| and rough country, with the result
| that the business association VITA the
three men named above was formed
and young Roosevelt became a ranch
| man. and year after year he Wen out
to the Bad Lands to engage personally
| in the work Additions were made
| to his herds until he came to he jwn-
er of thousands of head of cattle and
| the Maltese Cross brand came to be
| familiar all through the country. The
| outfit increased in size until il vas
| numbered among those of the fist
| class, and boosted its own 'rouid-
| up" wagon and outfit of men and
| horses. That was in the palmy days
of cattle growing in the West. whan
cattle were driven up over the tril
| from Texas by thousands. and turned
out to feed upon the rich grasses VI
| the Bad Lands region. Twice year
they were rounded up, once for tie
branding of calves and again for tie
| culling out and shipment of those t
for beef. Meantime they roamed tn,
| region at will. gaining their own su-
tenance from the wild grasses and
| growing wild as the country itself.
| When Roosevelt engaged in the cat
tie business. he determined to learn
from actual experience. and hence he
| engaged himself as one of his own
cowboys, and for part of a season
worked with his own wagon. in the
| same manner as any of his own men.
Il want to work with the wagon as
a rider" he said to his foreman, S.
! NJ. Ferris, and | want no favors
shown me. For the time being |
am the same as any of the men. and
| want to do the same work as any of
them With this admonition, he &C.
companied a roundup outfit in 1885
He had his own string" of horses, to
use the vernacular of the range and
they were as ugly and ill-tempered as
the majority of mustangs. Roosevelt
was not a "broncho breaker" in the
accepted sense of the work and he
took no reckless chances in mount.
ing "outlawed' steeds. But he rode
with his men, covered the same
ground, and did the same work. He
learned more and faster by observa
ton than any man | ever saw" said
his foreman, S. NJ. Ferris, in speaking
of the year Roosevelt served as cow.
boy. He learned to rope his own
horse, and to hang on when the horse
endeavored to throw him. He watch.
ed the men throw and brand calves
and before long he was able to handle
a calf with any of them. He never
complained of his bargain, was always
willing and ready and was among the
last to go to bed and the first to get
up in the morning. He got one or
two nasty falls while working with us
on one occasion being thrown from a
horse and breaking a small bone in
the shoulder, He was plucky, though
and it did not prevent his taking his
trick with the rest of us. At night he
stood his turn at the two hours guard
duty with the rest.
When on his western ranch, if no,
engaged in the active work of ranch
| life Of hunting tban he ,,,,;,