tly from books and letters, partly from documents and old
newspapers, I have gathered bit by bit the story of Roosevelt's life
as a ranchman; but my main sources of material have been the men and
women (scattered now literally from Maine to the State of Washington)
who were Roosevelt's companions and friends. It is difficult to
express adequately my gratitude to them for their unfailing
helpfulness; their willingness to let themselves be quizzed, hour
after hour, and to answer, in some cases, a very drumfire of
importunate letters; above all for their resistance, to what must at
times have been an almost overpowering temptation, to "string the
tenderfoot." They took my inquisition with grave seriousness and gave
me what they had without reserve and without elaboration.

There are five men to whom I am peculiarly indebted: to Mr. Sylvanus
M. Ferris and Mr. A. W. Merrifield, who were Roosevelt's
ranch-partners at the Maltese Cross Ranch, and to Mr. William W.
Sewall, of Island Falls, Maine, who was his foreman at Elkhorn; to Mr.
Lincoln A. Lang, of Philadelphia, who, having the seeing eye, has
helped me more than any one else to visualize the men and women who
played the prominent parts in the life of Medora; and to Mr. A. T.
Packard, of Chicago, founder and editor of the _Bad Lands Cowboy_, who
told me much of the efforts to bring law and order into Billings
County. To Mr. Joseph A. Ferris and Mrs. Ferris; to Mr. William T.
Dantz, of Vineland, New Jersey; to Mrs. Margaret Roberts and Dr.
Victor H. Stickney, both of Dickinson, North Dakota; to Mr. George
Myers, of Townsend, Montana; to Mr. John Reuter, to Mr. John C.
Fisher, of Vancouver, British Columbia, and to Mr. John Willis, of
Glasgow, Montana, Roosevelt's companion of many hunts, I am indebted
to a scarcely less degree. Others who gave me important assistance
were Mr. Howard Eaton, of Wolf, Wyoming, and Mr. "Pete" Pellessier of
Sheridan, Wyoming; Mr. James Harmon, Mr. Oren Kendley, Mr. Schuyler
Lebo, and Mr. William McCarty, of Medora, North Dakota; Mr. William G.
Lang, of Baker, Montana; Mr. W. H. Fortier, of Spokane, Washington;
Mr. Edward A. Allen and Mr. George F. Will, of Bismarck, North
Dakota; Mr. J. B. Brubaker, of Terry; Mr. Laton A. Huffman and Mr. C.
W. Butler, of Miles City, Montana; Dr. Alexander Lambert, of New York
City; Dr. Herman Haupt, of Setauket, New York; the Reverend Edgar
Haupt, of St. Paul, Minnesota; Mr. Alfred White, of Dickinson; Mr.
Dwi