Theodore Roosevelt National Park is a national park of the United States in the badlands of western North Dakota comprising three geographically separated areas. This park pays homage to the time that Theodore Roosevelt spent in the surrounding area and in the Dakota Territories before they were states. Roosevelt lived in the area after his mother and wife died hours apart on February 14, 1884. Theodore Roosevelt National Park is the only American national park named directly after a single person.
The park covers 70,446 acres (110.072sqmi; 28,508ha; 285.08km2) of land in three sections: the North Unit, the South Unit, and the Elkhorn Ranch Unit. The Little Missouri River flows through all three units of the park. The Maah Daah Hey Trail connects all three units. The park's larger South Unit lies alongside Interstate 94 near Medora, North Dakota. The smaller North Unit is situated about 80mi (130km) north of the South Unit, and Roosevelt's Elkhorn Ranch is located between the North and South units.
Both main units of the park have scenic drives, approximately 100 miles (160km) of foot and horse trails, wildlife viewing, and back country hiking and camping. The park received 850,000 recreational visitors in 2021.[2]
History
Roosevelt connection
Rainbow over the badlandsThe badlands in winter
Roosevelt first came to the North Dakota badlands to hunt bison in September 1883. During that first short trip, he got his bison and fell in love with the rugged lifestyle and the "perfect freedom" of the West. He invested $14,000 in the Maltese Cross Ranch, which was already being managed by Sylvane Ferris and Bill Merrifield, seven miles south of Medora. That winter, Ferris and Merrifield built the Maltese Cross Cabin. After the death of both his wife and his mother on February 14, 1884, Roosevelt returned to his North Dakota ranch seeking solitude and time to heal. That summer, he started his second ranch, the Elkhorn Ranch, 35 miles north of Medora, which he hired two Maine woodsmen, Bill Sewall and Wilmot Dow, to operate. Roosevelt took great interest in his ranches and in hunting in the West, detailing his experiences in pieces published in eastern newspapers and magazines. He wrote three major works on his life in the West: Ranch Life and the Hunting Trail, Hunting Trips of a Ranchman and The Wilderness Hunter. His adventures in "the strenuous life" outdoors and the loss of his cattle in the starvation winter in 1886–1887 were influential in his pursuit of conservation policies as President of the United States (1901–1909).
Park development
Following Roosevelt's death in 1919, the Little Missouri Badlands were explored to determine possible park sites. Civilian Conservation Corps camps were established in both of the future park units from 1934 to 1941, and they developed roads and other structures in use today. The area was designated the Roosevelt Recreation Demonstration Area in 1935. In 1946 it was transferred to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service as the Theodore Roosevelt National Wildlife Refuge. After a five-year campaign by North Dakota representative William Lemke, President Truman established the South Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Memorial Park on April 25, 1947, the only National Memorial Park ever established; the North Unit was added by act of Congress in June 1948. In 1978, in addition to boundary adjustments and the establishment of 29,920 acres (121.1km2) of the Theodore Roosevelt Wilderness, the park's designation was changed to Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
Geography
North Unit mapSouth Unit map
The North Unit, the South Unit, and the Elkhorn Ranch Unit cover a total of 70,446 acres (110.072sqmi; 28,508ha; 285.08km2).[3] The park's larger South Unit lies alongside Interstate 94 near Medora, North Dakota. The smaller North Unit is situated about 80mi (130km) north of the South Unit, on U.S. Route 85, just south of Watford City, North Dakota. Roosevelt's Elkhorn Ranch is located between the North and South units, approximately 20mi (32km) west of US 85 and Fairfield, North Dakota.
Climate
According to the Köppen climate classification system, Theodore Roosevelt National Park has a Cold semi-arid climate (BSk). According to the United States Department of Agriculture, the Plant Hardiness zone at the North Unit Visitor Center (2008ft / 612 m) is 3b with an average annual extreme minimum temperature of -30.6°F (-34.8°C), and 4a with an average annual extreme minimum temperature of -29.3°F (-34.1°C) at the South Unit Visitor Center (2261ft / 689 m).[4]
Climate data for North Unit Visitor Center, Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Elev: 2198 ft (670 m)
The bison, elk, and bighorn sheep were reintroduced to the park. Park officials manage populations of bison, horses, and elk to maintain a balanced ecosystem.[8][9] The entire park has been surrounded with a 7-foot tall (2.1m) woven wire fence which keeps horses and bison inside the park and commercial livestock out. Other animals are able to pass over, under, or through the fence in specific locations provided for that purpose. Elk seek refuge in the park from external hunting pressure. The elk reproduce and have been removed to mitigate resource damage from overpopulation. Prairie dogs are native wildlife that are considered a keystone species because of their foraging and burrowing behaviors that mix soils and promote native plant diversity, critical to healthy landscape ecology. They also serve as a prey base for a variety of other native wildlife.[10]
After the park was fenced, a horse round-up held in 1954 removed 200 branded animals. A few small bands of horses eluded capture and went unclaimed. These horses continued to live free-range in the park. For several years the National Park Service tried to remove all horses from the park. In 1970, a change of park policy recognized the horse as part of the historical setting. Historically, the park conducted roundups every three to four years using helicopters to herd horses to a handling facility and then sold them at public auction. New methods for herd management were tried including contraceptives, low-stress capture techniques, genetics research, and partnerships with nonprofit horse advocacy groups.[8] The 1978 Environmental Assessment document set a population goal for the demonstration herd to 35-60 head.[11] The goal for number of horses and herd demographics is being reevaluated during the development of a new management plan with current research.[12] The absence of livestock would enable reestablishment of natural grazing regimes to benefit native plant life and natural ecosystem function.[10]
Twenty-nine bison were introduced to a South Unit in 1956 and subsequently transferred 20 bison from that herd to the park's North Unit in 1962. They are routinely culled down to approximately 350 and 20 animals, respectively.[13] The gathering and reduction of the herd alternates between the two units each year. The bison are shared with Native American tribes to increase numbers in existing tribal herds and provide genetic diversity.[14] The conservation of bison is an ongoing, diverse effort to bring bison back from the brink of extinction. The 2020 Bison Conservation Initiative by the Department of the Interior has five central goals: wild, healthy bison herds; genetic conservation; shared stewardship; ecological restoration; and cultural restoration.[15] Six yearling female bison were transferred from Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge in 2020. National Park Service experts will study the extent to which translocated animals integrate into the established herds.[16]
Wilderness
Created by an act of Congress in 1978, the wilderness covers an area of 29,920 acres (121km2) and comprises over a third of the area of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. There are two geographically separated sections of wilderness, one in each of the two main units of the National Park. The northern section covers most of the North Unit of the park, in McKenzie County, whereas the somewhat smaller southern section covers only the western portion of the larger South Unit, in Billings County. The southern section is located at 46°59′N103°33′W / 46.983°N 103.550°W / 46.983; -103.550.
Badlands in Theodore Roosevelt Wilderness
The wilderness protects from development the wildest sections of the National Park, an area described as badlands where erosional forces have carved steep cliffs into the relatively flat prairie. Bison, pronghorn, elk, mule deer and coyote are all found here, along with hundreds of species of birds such as the bald eagle, falcon and hawk. The wilderness is separated into two sections along with the park, a north and a south unit, by a distance of 70 miles (110km). The Little Missouri River is on the south side of both units and is credited for being the primary erosional source which created the badlands topography.
Eighty-five miles (137km) of trails allow access to the most remote sections of the wilderness. Camping is allowed with a permit, however gathering wood for fires is prohibited and overnighters are encouraged to bring a portable stove.
Cannonball concretions in the North UnitBisons at the Painted Canyon Visitor CenterWild horses
Both main units of the park have scenic drives, approximately 100 miles (160km) of foot and horse trails, wildlife viewing, and opportunities for back country hiking and camping. There are three developed campgrounds: Juniper Campground in the North Unit, Cottonwood Campground in the South Unit, and the Roundup Group Horse Campground in the South Unit. Wildlife viewing is popular
The brown, dormant grass dominates from late summer through the winter, but explodes into green color in the early summer along with hundreds of species of flowering plants. During winter, snow covers the sharp terrain of the badlands and locks the park into what Theodore Roosevelt called "an abode of iron desolation."[18]
A museum at the South Unit Visitor Center provides background on Roosevelt and his ranching days. Roosevelt's Maltese Cross Cabin is at the South Unit Visitor Center.
Roosevelt's Elkhorn Ranch is a separate, remote area of the park, 35 miles (56km) north of Medora, accessible by gravel roads. The foundation of the ranch house and other shops buildings have been preserved, though the other portions of the cabin were removed and re-purposed after Roosevelt vacated the ranch. Threats to the Elkhorn Ranch site include oil development on adjacent lands, particularly visual intrusions and noise pollution from oil facilities and traffic.
The park units are mostly surrounded by grasslands. The area has very dark night skies with excellent star gazing and occasional northern lights.
The town of Medora, at the entrance to the south unit, provides a western experience, with wooden planked sidewalks, old fashioned ice cream parlors, and buggy rides. There are several museums and the Burning Hills Amphitheather with nightly productions of the Medora Musical from early June to early September.
Wibaux is a town in and the county seat of Wibaux County, Montana, United States. It is the only incorporated town in Wibaux County. The population was 462 at the 2020 census.
Medora is a city in Billings County, North Dakota, United States. The only incorporated place in Billings County, it is also the county seat. Much of the surrounding area is part of either Little Missouri National Grassland or Theodore Roosevelt National Park. The population was 121 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Dickinson Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Badlands National Park is a national park of the United States in southwestern South Dakota. The park protects 242,756 acres of sharply eroded buttes and pinnacles, along with the largest undisturbed mixed grass prairie in the United States. The National Park Service manages the park, with the South Unit being co-managed with the Oglala Lakota tribe.
White Horse Hill National Game Preserve is a National Wildlife Refuge and nature center located on the shore of Devils Lake in Benson County, North Dakota, within the Spirit Lake Tribe reservation.
A guest ranch, also known as a dude ranch, is a type of ranch oriented towards visitors or tourism. It is considered a form of agrotourism.
The Nokota horse is a feral and semi-feral horse breed located in the badlands of southwestern North Dakota in the United States. The breed developed in the 19th century from foundation bloodstock consisting of ranch-bred horses produced from the horses of local Native Americans mixed with Spanish horses, Thoroughbreds, harness horses and related breeds. The Nokota was almost wiped out during the early 20th century when ranchers, in cooperation with state and federal agencies, worked together to reduce competition for livestock grazing. However, when Theodore Roosevelt National Park was created in the 1940s, a few bands were inadvertently trapped inside, and thus were preserved.
Custer State Park is a South Dakota State Park and wildlife reserve in the Black Hills of the United States. Located in Custer County, the park is South Dakota's first and largest state park, named after Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer. The park covers an area of over 71,000 acres (287 km2) of varied terrain including rolling prairie grasslands and rugged mountains.
Little Missouri National Grassland is a National Grassland located in western North Dakota, United States. At 1,028,051 acres (416,037 ha), it is the largest grassland in the country. Enclaved within its borders is Theodore Roosevelt National Park, which is managed by the National Park Service. The Little Missouri National Grassland was once a part of the Custer National Forest, but is now a part of the Dakota Prairie Grasslands, a National Forest unit consisting entirely of National Grasslands. A predominant feature of the grassland is colorful and beautiful badlands, a rugged terrain extensively eroded by wind and water. It is a mixed-grass prairie, meaning it has both long and short grass.
The Boone and Crockett Club is an American nonprofit organization that advocates fair chase hunting in support of habitat conservation. The club is North America's oldest wildlife and habitat conservation organization, founded in the United States in 1887 by Theodore Roosevelt and George Bird Grinnell. The club was named in honor of hunter-heroes of the day, Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett, whom the club's founders viewed as pioneering men who hunted extensively while opening the American frontier, but realized the consequences of overharvesting game. In addition to authoring a famous "fair chase" statement of hunter ethics, the club worked for the expansion and protection of Yellowstone National Park and the establishment of American conservation in general. The club and its members were also responsible for the elimination of commercial market hunting, creation of the National Park and National Forest Services, National Wildlife Refuge system, wildlife reserves, and funding for conservation, all under the umbrella of what is known today as the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation.
The plains bison is one of two subspecies/ecotypes of the American bison, the other being the wood bison. A natural population of plains bison survives in Yellowstone National Park and multiple smaller reintroduced herds of bison in many places in the United States as well as southern portions of the Canadian Prairies.
The Valle Vidal is a 101,794 acres (41,195 ha) mountain basin in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains within the Carson National Forest, northwest of Cimarron, New Mexico. Elevations in the basin range from 7,700 to 12,554 feet. Valle Vidal is noted for its pristine scenery and wildlife. It was protected from oil and gas exploitation by an act of Congress in 2006. The Valle Vidal borders on Vermejo Park Ranch, Philmont Scout Ranch, and other private lands.
The Maltese Cross Cabin is a cabin that was used by Theodore Roosevelt, before he was President. The cabin is currently located at the visitor center at Theodore Roosevelt National Park, just outside the town of Medora, North Dakota.
The Elkhorn Ranch was established by Theodore Roosevelt on the banks of the Little Missouri River 35 miles north of Medora, North Dakota in the summer of 1884. Roosevelt hired Bill Sewall and Wilmot Dow, two Maine woodsmen, to run the ranch. Sewall and Dow built the ranch house, "a long, low house of logs," in the winter of 1884–1885.
The Wind Cave bison herd is a herd of 250–400 American bison in Wind Cave National Park, South Dakota, United States. As an active participant in the conservation of American bison, it is believed to be one of only seven free-roaming and genetically pure herds on public lands in North America. The other six herds are in Yellowstone Park, Theodore Roosevelt National Park, Henry Mountains, Blue Mounds State Park (Minnesota), Minneopa State Park (Minnesota), and Elk Island National Park. The Wind Cave herd are of the Plains bison subspecies.
American Prairie is a prairie-based nature reserve in Central Montana, United States, on a shortgrass prairie ecosystem with migration corridors and native wildlife. This wildlife conservation area is being developed as a private project of the American Prairie Foundation (APF), a non-profit organization. The reserve covers 462,803 acres (187,290 ha). The organization hopes to expand it greatly through a combination of both private and public lands.
Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, the plains bison and wood bison in Canada were hunted by nomadic indigenous hunters and white hunters alike. By the 1880s, the bison was nearly extinct, spurring a movement to save the few herds that remained. Federal government wildlife policy evolved from preservation of wilderness to utilitarian, scientific conservation and management of bison populations.
Peaceful Valley Ranch is about 3 miles (4.8 km) from the town of Medora, North Dakota in the South Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, in western North Dakota. The ranch dates from 1885, when Benjamin Lamb bought the land and built its first buildings. After operating as a ranch, primarily raising horses, the ranch was developed by the Olsen family as a dude ranch before it was acquired by the National Park Service, and incorporated into the Roosevelt Recreation Demonstration Area, which eventually became the present national park. The ranch forms the core of the national park's South Unit. It overlooks the Little Missouri River, in the Little Missouri badlands.
The Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library is a planned museum focused on the life and legacy of Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th president of the United States. It is to be constructed at a site to the west of Medora, North Dakota, near Theodore Roosevelt National Park, which preserves sites associated with Roosevelt's travel in North Dakota between 1883 and 1887. A site in the Badlands of Medora was selected in 2020, as well as the design architect Snøhetta and the architect of record JLG Architects.
The conservation of bison in North America is an ongoing, diverse effort to bring American bison back from the brink of extinction. Plains bison, a subspecies, are a keystone species in the North American Great Plains. Bison are a species of conservation concern in part because they suffered a severe population bottleneck at the end of the 19th century. The near extinction of the species during the 19th century unraveled fundamental ties between bison, grassland ecosystems, and indigenous peoples’ cultures and livelihoods. English speakers used the word buffalo for this animal when they arrived. Bison was used as the scientific term to distinguish them from the true buffalo. Buffalo is commonly used as it continues to hold cultural significance, particularly for Indigenous people.
Elkhorn is an American television drama series, chronicling the early life of Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President of the United States. Roosevelt became a cowboy and rancher in the American Frontier in his mid-20s, before returning east to become the country's youngest President.
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