History

The park was established in 1947 as a national memorial in honor of the 26th president of the United States.

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History Details

The idea of some kind of memorial or monument to President Theodore Roosevelt was first proposed shortly after his death in 1919; suggestions included a national or state park, wildlife refuge, or scenic road. The Little Missouri badlands were targeted in 1924 due to the area's historic association with Roosevelt, and the Roosevelt Memorial National Park Association, a.k.a. the Great North Dakota Association, was formed to explore and map out the park. Opinions varied on the logistics of the park, including the acreage which was costly and of high value to local ranchers. When the Dust Bowl storms hit the U.S. and Canadian prairies in the 1930s the landscape suffered greatly, forcing farmers to abandon their homes and sell land for as little as $2 per acre to the government. Much of this land became part of the Little Missouri National Grasslands, and some were reserved for Roosevelt's park. The park officially became Theodore Roosevelt National Park by the signature of President Harry S. Truman on April 25, 1947. Since then, the park borders have grown and changed slightly to become the 70,448-acre park that you see today.

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