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“A Cowboy’s Ride to the White House” | North Creek | September 13, 2026

  • Tannery Pond Center 228 Main Street North Creek, New York, 12853 United States (map)

“A Cowboy’s Ride to the White House” Brings Teddy Roosevelt’s Story to North Creek

Teddy Roosevelt camping in Yellowstone

TR camping in Yellowstone.

Tannery Pond Center in North Creek turns the screen toward one of the Adirondacks’ most consequential historical connections on Sunday, September 13, when Theodore Roosevelt: A Cowboy’s Ride to the White House screens at 2 pm.

Part of the weekend commemorating Roosevelt’s famous journey through Newcomb and North Creek, the PBS documentary offers something more interesting than a conventional afternoon at the movies: a chance to consider how the landscapes Roosevelt encountered helped shape the president who would become one of America’s most influential conservationists.

The screening gains an especially Adirondack dimension from what follows. Local historian and author Glenn Pearsall will introduce the film, then join noted environmentalist and author Bill McKibben for a conversation exploring “Teddy Roosevelt as our Greatest Conservation President.”

For travelers planning around TR Weekend events, it is an unusually thoughtful addition to the itinerary — history on screen followed by a conversation about a legacy that remains visible across the Adirondack Park.

Planning more Adirondack adventures? The ADK Taste newsletter delivers a weekly guide to the region’s best food, stories, and events.

From Harvard to the Badlands.

A Cowboy’s Ride to the White House follows the young Theodore Roosevelt to Dakota Territory in 1883, where he initially traveled to hunt bison. Roosevelt instead became captivated by the Badlands, bought a ranch and immersed himself in Western life.

The documentary examines how those experiences helped transform a physically challenged Harvard graduate into a rancher, outdoorsperson and eventually a Rough Rider and president. More important to this particular screening, the film establishes the connection between Roosevelt’s encounters with wild landscapes and the conservation ideas that became central to his presidency.

Watch the trailer.

The trailer for A Cowboy’s Ride to the White House previews the history and Badlands landscapes audiences will see when the documentary plays at Tannery Pond Center in North Creek.

The trailer offers glimpses of Roosevelt’s Western story, historic imagery and the North Dakota landscapes that helped reshape his life.

A Cowboy’s Ride to the White House brings that story back to the Adirondacks for this special North Creek screening.

Historians tell Roosevelt’s story.

Filmmaker Darrell Dorgan’s documentary was filmed on location at Roosevelt’s ranches in the North Dakota Badlands.

Rather than relying on dramatic reenactment, it builds its portrait through landscape, archival material and commentary from prominent Roosevelt scholars and historians, including H.W. Brands, Douglas Brinkley and Clay Jenkinson, along with Roosevelt’s great-grandson, Tweed Roosevelt.

That scholarly approach gives the film the feel of a particularly handsome history lesson rather than a Hollywood biopic — fitting for an afternoon built around discussion as much as entertainment. The documentary earned a strong recommendation from Video Librarian, which praised its script, photography and score. Its traditional public-television style may feel more measured than contemporary historical documentaries, but that slower pace suits the subject — and becomes an asset in a communal screening followed by live conversation.

Bison grazing in Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota.

Bison grazing in Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota.

Why this film belongs in North Creek.

Roosevelt’s Western years occurred thousands of miles from the Adirondacks, but North Creek provides a remarkable place to revisit them.

In September 1901, Roosevelt was in the Adirondacks when news arrived that President William McKinley’s condition had worsened following an assassination attempt. Roosevelt’s dramatic journey from Mount Marcy through Newcomb and North Creek ultimately carried him toward Buffalo and the presidency.

That history makes this more than another entry among movies in the Adirondacks. Watching A Cowboy’s Ride to the White House here connects two landscapes that helped define Roosevelt: the Badlands that shaped the young man and the Adirondacks through which he traveled toward the White House.

The Pearsall-McKibben conversation adds another layer, bringing Roosevelt’s conservation record into a region where questions about wilderness, preservation and human use remain very much alive.

There is also something fitting about experiencing the documentary at Tannery Pond Center rather than at home. Independent theaters and cultural venues across the Adirondack Park offer what megaplexes and streaming rarely can: an intimate room, a shared subject and a reason to keep talking after the credits.

ADK Taste recommendation

Pair the screening with other TR Weekend activities in North Creek and Newcomb for a fuller look at Roosevelt’s Adirondack story. A Cowboy’s Ride to the White House screens Sunday, September 13, 2026, at 2 pm at Tannery Pond Center in North Creek.

Visitors should check the Tannery Pond Center website or Facebook page for ticket and event updates.

For more hand-picked cultural happenings, seasonal celebrations, ADK Taste curates the events worth putting on the calendar each week.

Landscape of the Theodore Roosevelt National Park in the Badlands.

Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

FAQ.

When is A Cowboy’s Ride to the White House playing in North Creek?

The documentary screens Sunday, September 13, 2026, at 2 pm at Tannery Pond Center.

Is the screening part of TR Weekend?

Yes. The program is part of activities in North Creek and Newcomb commemorating Theodore Roosevelt’s historic Adirondack journey toward the presidency.

What happens after the film?

Adirondack historian and author Glenn Pearsall will join environmentalist and author Bill McKibben for a conversation focused on Theodore Roosevelt’s conservation presidency.


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