Roosevelt in the Bad Lands

by Hermann Hagedorn

Roosevelt in the Bad Lands is a classic US president biography by Hermann Hagedorn dealing with the frontier life of Teddy Roosevelt. It was Mr. Roosevelt himself who gave me the impulse to write this Roosevelt biograpy, and it was the letters of introduction which he wrote early in 1918 which made it possible for me to secure the friendly interest of the men who knew most about his life on the ranch and the range. "If you want to know what I was like when I had bark on," he said, "you ought to talk to Bill Sewall and Merrifield and Sylvane Ferris and his brother Joe." Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919) was an American statesman and writer who served as the 26th President of the United States from 1901 to 1909. He also served as the 25th Vice President of the United States from March to September 1901 and as the 33rd Governor of New York from 1899 to 1900. As a leader of the Republican Party during this time, he became a driving force for the Progressive Era in the United States in the early 20th century. His face is depicted on Mount Rushmore, alongside those of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Abraham Lincoln. Roosevelt was born a sickly child with debilitating asthma, but he overcame his physical health problems by embracing a strenuous lifestyle. He integrated his exuberant personality, vast range of interests, and world-famous achievements into a "cowboy" persona defined by robust masculinity. Home-schooled, he began a lifelong naturalist avocation before attending Harvard College. His book, The Naval War of 1812 (1882), established his reputation as both a learned historian and as a popular writer. Upon entering politics, he became the leader of the reform faction of Republicans in New York's state legislature. Following the near-simultaneous deaths of his wife and mother, he escaped to a cattle ranch in the Dakotas. Roosevelt served as Assistant Secretary of the Navy under President William McKinley, but resigned from that post to lead the Rough Riders during the Spanish–American War. Returning a war hero, he was elected Governor of New York in 1898. After the death of Vice President Garret Hobart, the New York state party leadership convinced McKinley to accept Roosevelt as his running mate in the 1900 election. Roosevelt campaigned vigorously, and the McKinley-Roosevelt ticket won a landslide victory based on a platform of peace, prosperity, and conservatism. After taking office as Vice President in March 1901, he became President at age 42 following McKinley's assassination that September, and remains the youngest person to become president. As a leader of the Progressive movement, he championed his "Square Deal" domestic policies, promising the average citizen fairness, breaking of trusts, regulation of railroads, and pure food and drugs. Making conservation a top priority, he established many new national parks, forests, and monuments intended to preserve the nation's natural resources. In foreign policy, he focused on Central America, where he began construction of the Panama Canal. He expanded the Navy and sent the Great White Fleet on a world tour to project the United States' naval power around the globe. His successful efforts to broker the end of the Russo-Japanese War won him the 1906 Nobel Peace Prize. He avoided controversial tariff and money issues. Elected in 1904 to a full term, Roosevelt continued to promote progressive policies, many of which were passed in Congress. Roosevelt successfully groomed his close friend, William Howard Taft, and Taft won the 1908 presidential election to succeed him. In polls of historians and political scientists, Roosevelt is generally ranked as one of the five best presidents.

Genres: History, Biography

328 pages, Paperback

First published August 10, 2003

About the author

Hermann Hagedorn (18 July 1882, New York City - 27 July 1964) was an American author, poet and biographer.

He was born in New York City and educated at Harvard University, where he was awarded the George B. Sohier Prize for literature, the University of Berlin, and Columbia University. From 1909 to 1911, he was an instructor in English at Harvard.

Hagedorn was a friend and biographer of Theodore Roosevelt. He also served as Secretary and Director of the Theodore Roosevelt Association from 1919 to 1957. Drawing upon his friendship with Roosevelt, Hagedorn was able to elicite the support of Roosevelt's friends and associates' personal recollections in his biography of TR which was first published in 1918 and then updated in 1922 and which is oriented toward children. The book has a summary questions for young readers at the end of each chapter. Drawing on the same friends and associates of Roosevelt, Hagedorn also published the first serious study of TR's experience as a rancher in the Badlands after the death of his wife and mother in 1884. Hagedorn's access to TR's associates in these two books has been utilized by historian, Edmund Morris in his two highly acclaimed biographical books on Roosevelt published in 1979 and 2001.

Reviews

[Billy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have always liked Teddy R, and we went on a trip the Badlands a few years ago. I am not sure where or how I found this very old book about TR in the Badlands, but I am glad I did.
Many biographers would probably give a side trip like this one in a political figures biography little attention. Having read in detail now what TR was doing in the Dakotas, I think it greatly formed his character.
This is an old old book and the style may put some off. What I liked was the way the author would, as an example, take a letter TR wrote to his sister or Lodge about some event and then cross reference it with the letters from one of TR’s friends in the Dakotas to some of his people or with what appeared in the local newspapers. The flow of the narrative suffers a bit but the real story comes out.
Beside TR, his rival the Marquis, the assorted cow punchers and denizens of the small towns and ranches, a significant character in this book is the landscape shaped by the horribly cold and windy weather. The winter at the end of the book had me shivering and I read this in warm weather.

[scott d. smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Makes one appreciate the lives of individuals that eeked out a living in the terrible environment of the bad lands

Overall a good read of you are interested in this area of history of geography. The writing could be a little smoother, as it was difficult to stay engaged in.

[Mike Kohler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super interesting! It was a slow read for me though.

[Daniel Loween · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good solid public domain classic

[Susan Molloy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent information and well-written.

💥 Recommended.
🟣

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

interesting account of young Theodore Roosevelt's time as a rancher and hunter in the North Dakota Badlands. I was especially interested in the descriptions of the founding of Medora.

[Robert Zabroski · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great history book for me being Born in Miles City Montana in the history that surrounds it in this book Roosevelt in the badlands

[Ken · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

I have read several books about Roosevelt and found this to be the most interesting and influential. This book describes the brief period in American history when the West was wild and which continues to be romanticized today. This period in Roosevelt's life was perhaps the most influential in changing American history. The reader would not obviously know that this book x written 100 years ago either. I recommend this to anyone interested in the real stories of the wild West or for anyone interested in learning a more inside view of Roosevelt's persona.

[Lee B. Coken · Rating 5 out of 5]

Teddy Roosevelt's beginnings

The book may be old but it is informative in discussing the young Teddy Roosevelt. His time spent ranching and hunting in the badlands turned him into the president he would become. His appreciation of the land around his ranch convinced him to later establish the national parks. The mantra of "speak softly and carry a big stick" is apparent in his daily dealings with the negative elements around him. These and other aspects of his character that would show themselves throughout his life are all here.

[Nancie Lafferty · Rating 3 out of 5]

DNF. Neutral rating because I could not finish this book at this time - but could not seem to eliminate the stars. Well written and chock-a-block full of interesting information, this book will give you much insight into Roosevelt's younger years and involvement with the magnificent Badlands. Perhaps I will read it some other time.

[Pam Porell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good reading about the years Theodore Roosevelt lived in Dakota and ran a cattle ranch. The author used lots of TR letters to his sisters and Others as well as interviews of people who were there at the time.