The place he chose for his home ranch was one of the worst of the
undeveloped sections of the country. The ranch lay on both sides of
the Little Missouri River. In front of the ranch house itself was a
long veranda, and in front of that a line of cottonwood trees that
shaded it. The bluffs rose from the river valley; stables, sheds and
other buildings were near. A circular horse corral lay not far from the
house. In winter wolves and lynxes traveled up the river on the ice,
directly in front of the ranch house.
Life at the ranch house was of the most primitive nature. Though they
had a couple of cows and some chickens, which supplied them with milk
and eggs, they lived for the most part on canned fare.
At the roundups and during his long rides over the range, and on many
hunting trips, Roosevelt had his favorite horse as companion--Manitou.
This horse was so fond of him that it used to come up of its own accord
to the ranch house and put its head into the door to beg for bread and
sugar.
When it was not a question of roundup or herding cattle, or driving
them to new grazing lands, the men at the ranch house broke in horses,
mended their saddles and practised with the rope. Hunting trips
broke into regular ranch life. The primitive little sitting-room of
the Elkhorn Ranch was adorned with buffalo robes and bearskins of
Roosevelt’s own killing; and in winter there was always to be found
good reading and a cheery fire.