Your TR Source
Theodore Roosevelt’s branding marks for Chimney Butte Ranch (“Maltese Cross Ranch”) and Elkhorn Ranch illustrated and described in the Stockgrowers’ Journal in Miles City, Montana.
Theodore Roosevelt National Park
1884
Joseph A. Ferris states that the auditor position has nothing to do with Stark County, North Dakota, and the salary is around $1,000 per year based on the valuation of Billings County, North Dakota. Sylvane M. Ferris never spoke to Senator Porter J. McCumber because Alexander McKenzie claimed he would handle the matter. Ferris thanks William Loeb and President Roosevelt for their assistance.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1905-01-28
Senator McCumber reviews his understanding of the situation surrounding the appointment of Sylvane M. Ferris to a position in North Dakota. He agrees that Ferris deserves a more prominent position and believes that arrangements can be made shortly.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1905-01-23
President Roosevelt asks if Joseph A. Ferris and Sylvane M. Ferris could meet him in Bismarck or Mandan and ride to Medora with him.
Theodore Roosevelt Medora Foundation
1903-04-07
Contract between Theodore Roosevelt, Sylvane M. Ferris, and Arthur William Merrifield regarding the purchase and care of cattle on Roosevelt’s ranch.
Theodore Roosevelt Medora Foundation
1884-06-12
Diary of Theodore Roosevelt for the year 1884. Includes entry regarding the deaths of his wife and mother on February 14, with the statement, “The light has gone out of my life.” Also, the diary describes Roosevelt’s hunting and ranching experiences for the year in the Dakota Badlands. A list of photographs taken and his personal finance record is also included in the back of the diary. Only pages on which text appeared are included.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1884
Hermann Hagedorn’s 1919 silent film in which he interviews former friends of Theodore Roosevelt’s from his time in the North Dakota Badlands. Included are images of Medora, North Dakota, in 1919 and a cattle roundup. W. W. Reid was the principal photographer and the film was sponsored by the Roosevelt Memorial Association (Theodore Roosevelt Association).
Library of Congress Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound
1919
Memorandum encloses three separate documents pertaining to the Maltese Cross Ranch and the Elkhorn Ranch, including a memo from the acting regional historian which recommends not acquiring the Maltese Cross Ranch and two autobiographical excerpts (copies) from Theodore Roosevelt.
Theodore Roosevelt National Park
1940-03-13
The letter writer provides Albert T. Volwiler with the names of individuals who have connections to the Medora, North Dakota, area.
Theodore Roosevelt National Park
1918-03-04
Historian Ray H. Mattison reports on his study of the authenticity of the Maltese Cross cabin. Mattison concludes that the cabin in question is the one occupied by Roosevelt when he first moved to Medora, North Dakota. Whether or not it was his home beyond 1885, it continued to be the base of Roosevelt’s cattle ranching operation. In addition to a thorough history of Roosevelt’s time in the Badlands Region and the efforts of others to preserve and/or showcase the Maltese Cross cabin, the report includes photos and sworn affidavits from Medora locals.
Theodore Roosevelt National Park
1950-05-24
Copy of an article written to argue for the authenticity of the Maltese Cross cabin. The cabin was to be exhibited at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, and some question had arisen regarding its authenticity. This article includes notarized statements from Sylvane M. Ferris, Howard Eaton, and Joseph A. Ferris.
Theodore Roosevelt National Park
1904-03-19
Ray H. Mattison thanks Roy P. Johnson for his hard work gathering and sending him research materials regarding the authenticity of Theodore Roosevelt’s Maltese Cross cabin. The information Mattison has gathered from interviewing old timers backs the authenticity of the cabin thus far, although he still has more people to interview. Mattison believes Hermann Hagedorn is incorrect in saying that Roosevelt went to Red River country in Nebraska in 1882, because there is Red River in Nebraska. He notes a paragraph in Roosevelt’s 1920 autobiography in which the President talks about his first trip to Fargo, North Dakota in 1883, not 1882.
Theodore Roosevelt National Park
1949-07-23
The brochure for Theodore Roosevelt’s Maltese Cross Cabin at the Theodore Roosevelt National Memorial Park was published by the Theodore Roosevelt Nature and History Association in cooperation with the National Park Service sometime after 1959. It features photographs of the cabin and the items that were left in the there that belonged to Roosevelt. William Barnhart describes the history of Roosevelt’s cabin and how it came to part of the of the National Park Service.
Theodore Roosevelt National Park
Unknown
Article discusses the origins of the logs used to build the Maltese Cross Cabin.
Theodore Roosevelt National Park
1969-08-19
Article discusses Theodore Roosevelt’s trip to western Dakota Territory to hunt and how he became a rancher. It continues on to highlight the construction of the Maltese Cross Ranch.
Theodore Roosevelt National Park
Unknown
Historian Ray H. Mattison requests information about the location of the Elkhorn Ranch site from Hermann Hagedorn.
Theodore Roosevelt National Park
1949-11-03
Historian Ray H. Mattison asks Albert T. Volwiler for further details regarding the Elkhorn Ranch and the Maltese Cross Cabin. He also seeks clarification on certain transfers of property as well as more information concerning Theodore Roosevelt’s ranching activities at these locations.
Theodore Roosevelt National Park
1949-11-12
Historian Ray H. Mattison writes to Hermann Hagedorn about letters from Theodore Roosevelt to Sylvane M. Ferris and Joseph A. Ferris.
Theodore Roosevelt National Park
1949-11-12
Typed transcript of a letter to the editor of the Bismarck Tribune. A. T. Packard refutes a Tribune article that suggests George W. Myers is a cattle thief. He lays out the facts for Myers’s innocence.
1886-12-22
Commissioner Roosevelt was pleased to receive William Wingate Sewall’s letter. He still has some cattle in North Dakota that are under the care of Sylvane M. Ferris. Roosevelt has been unable to exercise much and is “getting stout.”
Theodore Roosevelt National Park
1890-11-02