In a Far Corner of Colorado: One Chapter in the Great Dispossession
Monday, June 08 2026
A recent visit to northwest Colorado reminds me of the paradox of Manifest Destiny and our American history.
- Published in Features
My Close Encounter With Devils Tower
Tuesday, June 02 2026
I’ve loved Devils Tower since I first close encountered it four decades ago. President Theodore Roosevelt established Devils Tower as the nation's first National Monument in September 1906. Roosevelt would establish 18 National Monuments during his two terms. Today we have 138.
- Published in Features
On the Road! Westward With Teddy Roosevelt
Tuesday, May 26 2026
Memorial Day weekend 2026, Clay and the LTA Airstream hit the trail, following Teddy Roosevelt’s legacy in the American West.
- Published in Dispatches from the Road
What Might Theodore Roosevelt Say About America’s Current War in Iran?
Monday, April 13 2026
As a longtime student of President Theodore Roosevelt, historian Clay Jenkinson considers how TR might have approached current events in Iran.
- Published in Features
How Meriwether Lewis’ Unfortunate Hunting Mishap Brought to Mind the Bounty of American Consumer Capitalism
Saturday, August 16 2025
On the 221st anniversary of Meriwether Lewis’ hunting calamity, Clay ponders salt, macrobiotics, and an earlier extended personal journey on the Lewis and Clark Trail.
- Published in Dispatches from the Road
Racing the Southern Interstates Across America
Tuesday, May 06 2025
About three days and 2,870 miles: Clay makes a rapid dash across the continent.
- Published in Dispatches from the Road
Theodore Roosevelt’s Unmatched Conservation Footprint and Eight Reasons He Got Away With It
Sunday, September 15 2024
Imagine America if Theodore Roosevelt had never been president. During his tenure, the “Cowboy President” set aside an astounding 230 million acres of U.S. public land as National Parks, National Monuments, National Forests, National Wildlife Refuges, and National Game Preserves.
- Published in Features
Clay drops in at Sagamore Hill, Theodore Roosevelt’s Beloved Home on Long Island — Video Dispatch
Monday, June 03 2024
Clay visits Sagamore Hill, Theodore Roosevelt’s home on Long Island.
- Published in Dispatches from the Road
Theodore Roosevelt and the Rough Riders at Montauk Point, New York — Video Dispatch
Tuesday, May 21 2024
When Theodore Roosevelt and the Rough Riders returned from their heroics in Cuba in August 1898, they were quarantined at Montauk Point at the tip of Long Island.
- Published in Dispatches from the Road
Rereading Blue Highways — An Enduring Backroads Journal
Monday, March 25 2024
Originally published is 1982, Clay says William Least Heat Moon’s Blue Highways is still our best backroads manifesto.
- Published in Books
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