Theodore Roosevelt National Park

As a young boy, Theodore Roosevelt always loved to be in nature whether it was observing bird calls or hunting for animal specimens. Maids at his family’s 5^th Avenue townhouse refused to enter young Teddy’s room due to all the dead animal specimens in varying states of taxidermy. Many people don’t know that Theodore Roosevelt actually became one of the most accomplished taxidermists in the United States and he also published books on the birds of North America. If you visit the Natural History Museum in New York City today, several of their specimens were collected by Theodore Roosevelt.

During the November election of 1881, a 23-year-old Theodore Roosevelt became the youngest man ever elected to the New York State Assembly. In 1883, Roosevelt left the comforts of Manhattan for a trip to the Dakota Territory where he hoped to hunt for buffalo. Although bison had mostly vanished from the plains by that time, Roosevelt fell in love with the rugged beauty and people of the Dakota Badlands.

After receiving news of the birth of his first child with his wife, Alice, the young legislature raced home from Albany to New York City by train on the morning of February 14, 1884. Upon arriving at his home, Theodore Roosevelt discovered that his beloved mother had passed away from typhoid fever and his wife was dying. Alice passed away later that afternoon and Theodore Roosevelt was devastated. He did the only thing he could think of to deal with the overwhelming grief: he left his two-day-old daughter with his sister and boarded a train for the Dakota Territory.

It was in the Dakota Badlands that Theodore Roosevelt came to lose himself in the vastness and grieve his personal tragedy. He arrived by train to the frontier town of Medora where he stayed in a boarding house with cowboys and men of questionable character. He soon moved into the small Maltese Cross cabin and began working as a cowboy all while learning the ranching business. With little knowledge of the cattle business, Roosevelt invested most of his family inheritance into a ranch along the banks of the Little Missouri River which he named Elkhorn. He recruited men from both his life back in the East as well as those in the Medora area to assist him with his new cattle business. Many of these men would join him storming up San Juan Hill in 1898 as Rough Riders during the Spanish-American War.

Ultimately, Roosevelt’s ranching operation failed but he always credited his experiences in the Dakota Badlands for shaping his character and being the basis of his conservation efforts. As the 26^th President of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt established the U.S. Forest Service, signed the 1905 Antiquities Act, and proclaimed 18 national monuments. He worked with Congress to create five national parks, 150 national forests, and protect over 250 million acres of federal land. Following his death in 1919, there were many efforts to create a memorial park honoring our Conservation President and one was ultimately established in 1947. It wasn’t until 1978 that the 70,448-acre Theodore Roosevelt National Park was established to memorialize his greatest legacy: the safekeeping and protection of our nation’s resources.

Theodore Roosevelt National Park is located in western North Dakota and is actually three separate parks or “units” in which the Little Missouri River traverses all three. The North and South Units both have scenic auto roads that take visitors throughout the park as well as visitor centers. Wildlife such as bison, prairie dogs, and feral horses are common in both of them. The Elkhorn Unit, which is at the site of Roosevelt’s ranch, is only accessible via horse, foot, or offroad vehicle and is far less visited. During my stay at Theodore Roosevelt National Park, I stayed at the Cottonwood Campground which is located in the South Unit on the banks of the Little Missouri River, however I also visited the North Unit for a day.

The South Unit is adjacent to the town of Medora, North Dakota and its close proximity to Interstate 94 makes it the most visited of the three units. The highlight of the South Unit is the 36-mile scenic loop which has many pullouts and overlooks of the spectacular Dakota Badlands. For thousands of years, the Little Missouri River and its tributaries have cut through the soft sedimentary layers of the northern Great Plains leaving behind spectacular scenery. Along the scenic loop there were several prairie dog towns (vast areas of mounds) where it was fun to sit, watch, and listen to them roaming about and barking to warn of danger. Another frequent sight along the scenic loop were bison including some mothers with calves. It is quite the treat to see these majestic symbols of the West roaming freely. I also saw a few herds of feral horses which still roam the park: they are quite sturdier in appearance than their domesticated cousins.

Theodore Roosevelt National Park’s North Unit is about a 68-mile drive north of the South Unit. It is far less visited which actually works in your favor as a visitor because it is easier to find parking at turnouts and animals are closer to the road. The North Unit features a 14-mile scenic drive that offers some spectacular views and interesting geological formations. One of those were the cannonball concretions which are formed when grains of sand are cemented together by minerals dissolved in an ancient river. At one of the pullouts, there were huge stone cannonballs strewn about the ground a result of falling out of the sedimentary rock following erosion. I also saw some examples of cap stones which are layers of sandstone infused with iron. This harder rock erodes at a slower pace than the soft sandstone and leaves behind a cap or shelf formation. Bison where also very prominent in the North Unit where I saw large herds as well as one rather large bull right on the road!

Theodore Roosevelt is by far my favorite figure in American history. It was a real treat to spend time in a place he loved and that today celebrates his legacy. From here, I’ll be heading south into the Black Hills of South Dakota.