The Cowboy President

“It is better to be an original than an imitation.” 
Theodore Roosevelt 

Being a cowboy crazy kid growing up it’s no surprise Michael F. Blake, author of “The Cowboy President: The American West And The Making of Theodore Roosevelt” found a kindred spirit in Theodore Roosevelt with his love of Western life. It is evident throughout the book Blake admires Roosevelt for his determined efforts to protect the country’s wildlife and land for the future and his ability to speak the truth, even when it is not the popular thing to do.

The bibliography for this book is extensive with a most impressive list. Blake has read books, scoured magazine articles, newspaper accounts, Internet articles, manuscripts, documentaries and interviews to give the readers a fresh perspective and insight into a man whose life has been told many times over. Blake’s extensive research included personal diaries, which helped him create an informative description of the people Roosevelt encountered and the land out West. The preface to this book is one of the most well executed ones I have ever read. It encapsulates in just a few pages the charismatic, magnetic, principled, egotistical, romanticized and funny person Roosevelt was.

Blake is successful creating a book that gives a vivid picture of how Roosevelt found solace in the vastness of the Badlands, how the land challenged him to live relying on his own inner strength and skills with help from a few friends, how the land eventually restored him from a major personal life crisis and how the west shaped Roosevelt his policies, and eventually his presidency.

TR North Dakota with his beloved mount, Manitou 1885
Initials TR are carved into the cantle of the saddle

As Blake began his research he followed the example set by Louis L’Amour, a popular western writer. L’Amour believed if you are going to write about a place you need to see it and experience it personally not just rely on notes made from other books and material. Over the three year time period it took Blake to complete the novel he made two to four  trips a year to the Badlands area, There he explored the land on foot and on horseback researching and imagining every aspect relating to TR’s days in the Dakotas. Like Roosevelt Blake has also driven cattle, crossed rivers on horseback and spent days in the saddle giving him a renewed perspective as he experienced the land just as Roosevelt had. His time spent in the Dakotas helped Blake write an intimate portrayal of a man who found his heart and strength in the West. 

The book traces Roosevelt’s years in the Badlands with his adventures as a big game hunter, a rancher, frontiersman, cowboy and even a pursuer of outlaws. It was here he learned first hand the importance of conservation. The majority of the book chronicles the west period of his life. The last half on the book extends Blake’s analysis into his presidency years showing how his passion for the west and needed conservation measures shaped his politics and eventually presidency.

Blake hopes readers will see that Roosevelt’s time spent in the American West transformed him physically and emotionally. Blake’s’ carefully crafted sentences engage the reader into a mesmerizing saga of Roosevelt’s life. With crisp, straightforward and detailed sentences the reader gets a window view of a western landscape with life as a rancher and Blake’s writing seamlessly brings the reader back full circle to city life with Roosevelt's family life and the political arena.

Mt. Rushmore

In his lifetime Roosevelt authored thirty-seven books, hundreds of magazine articles and editorials. As president, he preserved over 230 million acres of unspoiled land for the American public, established 51 bird sanctuaries, 18 national monuments, 6 National Parks, and created or expanded 150 National Forests. As Roosevelt witnessed game life not being as plentiful as he once believed he had the foresight to see there was a need for strong laws to protect the wildlife and the land.

“The Cowboy President” is informative and expertly written, meticulously documented book, which includes lots of photographs from Roosevelt’s time out West that perhaps many have never seen. Besides owning a personal copy of "The Cowboy President" it’s a great resource that should be accessible for high school and college history classes.

Blake’s stellar resume includes books: "Code of Honor: The Making of High Noon, Shane and the Searchers." These books are recognized as informative works relating to the Western genre.  Besides being an author Michael F. Blake, a two-time Emmy-winning makeup artist, has worked in the film industry for sixty years. In 2017, Michael received the Stirrup Award from Western Writers of America for his article on the making of John Ford’s "The Searchers."

I met a real cowboy at the Western Writers' Booth,  Michael Blake. He was at the Tucson Book Festival in March. He generously gave me his new book and provided me with additional pieces of information for this review. I used Michael's favorite Theodore Roosevelt quote in the beginning.

Check out Michael Blake’s website. http://www.michaelfblake.com/to learn more about the author, his upcoming events, blog, a Q and A section and previously published books. 

Blake is committed to making Theodore Roosevelt a relevant figure in today’s world with his lively presentation where he relates stories about Theodore's time in the west and how it influenced him. He has designed it so it can be as long as 45 minutes or as short as 15 minutes. Contact information is available on his website.