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THEODORE ROOSEVELT NATIONAL
PARK located in the colorful North Dakota badlands
stands as a living memorial to the 26th president of the United States
and his enduring contribution to the conservation of our nation's resources.
When Theodore Roosevelt stepped off the train in the Dakota Territory for the first time, he was in search of adventure. The date was September 8, 1883, and the town that slept at 2:00 a.m. was Little Missouri, a shoddy collection of buildings on the west bank of the river that included "Big-Mouth Bob's Bug-Juice Dispensary" -- a saloon. The 24-year-old Roosevelt was bursting with anticipation about shooting a bison. A feat that took him 10 days to accomplish. Before returning to New York, just two weeks after he arrived, he entered into a partnership to raise cattle on the Maltese Cross Ranch. TR returned again over the next few years to live the life of a cowboy, explore, invigorate his body and to have the Little Missouri Badlands renew his spirit.
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