It is a subject I do not care to talk about."[54] In the end, he realized that he had to support Blaine to maintain his role in the GOP and he did so in a press release on July 19.[55] Having lost the support of many reformers, Roosevelt decided to retire from politics and move to North Dakota.[56]

Cattle rancher in Dakota
Theodore Roosevelt as Badlands hunter in 1885. New York studio photo.
Roosevelt first visited the Dakota Territory in 1883 to hunt bison.[57] Exhilarated by the western lifestyle and with the cattle business booming in the territory, Roosevelt invested $14,000 in hopes of becoming a prosperous cattle rancher. For the next several years, he shuttled between his home in New York and his ranch in Dakota.[58]
Following the 1884 United States presidential election, Roosevelt built a ranch named Elkhorn, which was 35 mi (56 km) north of the boomtown of Medora, North Dakota. Roosevelt learned to ride western style, rope, and hunt on the banks of the Little Missouri. Though he earned the respect of the authentic cowboys, they were not overly impressed.