1883 capital invested
List of investments and expenses for Theodore Roosevelt’s cattle ranching business during October 1883.
Collection
State Historical Society of North Dakota
Creation Date
1883-10
Your TR Source
Ranching--Economic aspects
Letter from William Wingate Sewall
William Wingate Sewall has been working on hewing the logs for the ranch house and it is going fairly well. They take one day each week to explore and also get their mail once a week. Sewall is unsure what he will do in the spring but he does not want to live in Dakota Territory for longer then necessary. He is safe but sees many drawbacks to living in the territory. Ranching in the Dakota Badlands is a new business and no one is sure if it will be profitable.
Collection
State Historical Society of North Dakota
Creation Date
1884-10-19
Letter from William Wingate Sewall to Samuel T. Sewall
William Wingate Sewall has been “holding the fort” at the ranch while the other ranch hands are on the roundup. The weather has been nice and he has been spending time tending the garden. Sewall does not think Dakota Territory is very good for farming, but the cattle are doing well. He hopes that Theodore Roosevelt will not lose money on the cattle but doubts he can ever make much profit. Sewall accompanied Roosevelt on a recent hunt and Roosevelt killed a large elk. He hopes to go on his own hunt with Wilmot Dow when the weather is cooler. Sewall is now into his last two years in Dakota Territory and it will be a “joyful day” when he returns home to Maine.
Collection
State Historical Society of North Dakota
Creation Date
1886-06-27
Letter from William Wingate Sewall to Samuel T. Sewall
William Wingate Sewall has 100 cattle to practice on during winter. He does not believe cattle are too hard to care for and the work has not been difficult. The country is “queer” and dirty but the soil looks healthy and the water is good. Sewall guesses there is a chance to make money with cattle and Theodore Roosevelt is optimistic. If he can make a profit, Sewall wants to get back to the “clear water and trees” soon. Overall, he thinks that Dakota Territory should have been left to the animals.
Collection
State Historical Society of North Dakota
Creation Date
1884-08-17
Letter from Howard Eaton to William Wingate Sewall
The weather has been fair recently but previous “sharp weather” killed many cattle and “everybody is blue as a whetstone.” At least the losses should stop the big herds from Texas. Medora, Dakota Territory, is “very dead.” A. T. Packard lost everything in a fire and moved back east. The saloon also burnt down and Joseph A. Ferris’s store had a close call. Howard Eaton is glad that William Wingate Sewall is well and he wishes he could join Sewall for some “hunting, fishing, eating apples and drinking cider.”
Collection
State Historical Society of North Dakota
Creation Date
1887-02-26
Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Robert Harry Munro Ferguson
The missing cattle checks have been found and dividends can now be paid for December and June. Commissioner Roosevelt would like Robert Harry Munro Ferguson to attend the Boone and Crockett Club dinner in January. Asa McIlhaney visited and Roosevelt relates an anecdote about Ted Roosevelt helping them chop down a grove of trees.
Collection
Creation Date
1893-11-22
Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Robert Harry Munro Ferguson
Commissioner Roosevelt does not know Robert Harry Munro Ferguson’s address and asks him to find some missing cattle checks. Without the checks they will not be able to pay dividends.
Collection
Creation Date
1893-11-01
Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Alice Lee Roosevelt
Writing to his wife Alice from Joseph A. Ferris’s ranch in Dakota Territory, Theodore Roosevelt reports he finally received Alice’s letters and was so happy he could have cried. He shall start home in a few days from “the pleasantest and most successful trip I have ever made.” He is bringing home many trophies and is in great health. He describes a typical day and says after talking with the Ferris brothers and Bill Merrifield, he has decided to go into the cattle business.
Collection
Creation Date
1883-09-23
Letter from Ray H. Mattison to Herbert Oliver Brayer
Ray H. Mattison writes to Herbert Oliver Brayer regarding business operations relative to cattle outfits in the Badlands. Mattison also informs Brayer that Theodore Roosevelt National Park does not have any photographs of the Marquis de Morès.
Collection
Theodore Roosevelt National Park
Creation Date
1950-04-14