Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota

Teddy's Park
Maureen Kelly/Robert Tait Roosevelt first came to the badlands in 1883, and he became interested in the cattle business. He returned to New York, but had a small cabin, the Maltese Cross Ranch built the Dakota Territory. When he returned he spent most of his time hunting and tending to his ranches. By spending time in the Dakota Territory, he became alarmed by the damage that was being done to the land and its wildlife. When he became president in1901, Roosevelt pursued this interest in natural history. As a conservationist, Teddy Roosevelt was a major figure in American history.
We went to the visitor’s center and watched the video of the badlands. (In my opinion the video was superficial and overly wordy, however, the ranger said it won an award… go figure.) Then we had a tour of the Maltese Cross Cabin, Roosevelt’s first home here. The ranger did a nice job giving a history of this first cabin of TR.
The scenic loop drive goes past prairie dog town; and there were the little critters chirping like birds lots and lots of them, just waiting to have their picture taken. Our first stop was Ridgeline Trail, a nice hike up and a great view of the badlands. We continued to Coal Vein Trail, another nature trail, describing the vegetation, and geologic history of this area. The Bothan turned the bend and there was Peaceful Valley… with a herd of buffalo grazing!! The buffalo kept eating and crossing the drive and we just stayed still and snapped photos. Wow! Now my tax dollars are working and no one is dying!
Off we go to Williston for the night.

---

---