Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1904-06-25
OREGON
STILL
AHEAD
Salem Boy Designs Roosevelt
Campaign Button

Dlns up ana the latest to attract at.
tention is Sam VanDersal, who has
brought out the Roosevelt campaign
button for 1904. The button made its
appearance in almost every part of
the United States, and for originality
has never been surpassed. Sam was
born and raised in Marion county. and
several years ago went East to seek
his fortune. He occupied a mediocre
place, so far as his friends knew. un-
Til recently, when Eastern papers
commenced to exploit his campaign
buttons. The Kansas City Star of
June 18th says:
The first of the campaign buttons
for 1904 has made its appearance, and
1t Is based on the ranch days of Theo.
dore Roosevelt. Samuel Van Dersal,
Kansas City man, is the origin
ator Mr.. Van Dersal was publisher
of the Montana and Dakota state
brand books when Mr.. Roosevelt has
ranches in that country. In each
book are registered thousands of
brands, and among them are the three
used by the ranchman who became
President One Is a triangle, another
the Elkhorn and the third the NAL
tese cross. Mr.. Van Dersal recently
sent to North Dakota and received in
return the original applications filed
by Mr. Roosevelt and registering his
brands in the state capitol at Bis
marck. One of them, the Elkhorn
brand application is here reproduced.
When Mr.. Roosevelt sold his ranches
he also transferred his brands to
Ferris Brothers, Medora N. d., who
still use them.
The button shows a red steer, wear
ing the three Roosevelt brands, and
bears . the inscription: Don't be
Maverick-Join the Presidential
Roundup, 1904.
Roosevelt ha I two ranches in the
Bad Lands of Dakota. One was eight
miles up the Little Missouri river
from Medora. This was known as the
Chimney Butte ranch, but the cow
boys called it the Maltese Cross
ranch, because all its cattle were
branded with the cross. Thirty miles
down the river from Medora was the
Elkhorn ranch also owned by Mr..
Roosevelt. There were fine buildings
on the Elkhorn, but the New Yorker
preferred to live on the Chimney Butte
although the house was a one-story
affair of logs with three rooms, a
kitchen, living room and a room for
the owner and his ranch manager
Sylvane Ferris, who, with his brother
now owns the Roosevelt lands.
Medora is not much of a town now,
but It has history. Twenty years ago
the late Marquis de Mores, who was
killed in the Soudan by the Mahadists,
established the town and named II
after his wife, who, before her mar
riage. was Medora Won Hoffman OF
New York. Pretty nearly every one
hears of the schemes of the marquis.
He was going to raise his own cattle,
slaughter them in his own abattoir
and sell the meat in mis- own stores
in every city in the land. He triet
he failed and he left Meiora.
Roosevelt came here a year before
the marquis and started in to do some
reforming. The bad men," who
abounded hereabouts in those days,
were just ready to kill him when de
Mores waited along and monopolized
all the attention. The Frenchman at
once became as obnoxious to the cat
tie thieves as the New Yorker and
the would-be killers concentrated up
on him. But de Mores killed two OF
them and wounded half dozen more
making the first active move against
the toughest gang of cattle thieves in
the northwest
After de Mores faded away some
of the former members of the gang
made spasmodlc efforts to return TO
the old order of things, and they were
aided secretly by the then sheriff
Roosevelt showed then that he had
good stuff in him. He called a meet
ing of all the ranchers in the country
the sheriff was summoned, and with
his hand on his gun Roosevelt told
the oficial that he was a liar and a
horsethief. II was swift language to
use in that country, but the sherin
saw that he was against a bad man.
took his medicine and resigned. That
was a big feather in Rooseyelts cap
In other ways he showed that the
ways of the country were not too hard
for him. He made 1t practice 10
buy the bucdest, ugliest COW ponies
III eud Ia tho country and when