On Valentine's Day 1884, Theodore Roosevelt lost both his wife Alice and his mother Mittie within hours of each other. In his diary that night, he drew a large X and wrote simply: "The light has gone out of my life." What came next changed American history. The 25-year-old New York politician fled west to the North Dakota badlands, seeking not just escape but transformation. Now, nearly 150 years later, a presidential library is rising on a butte overlooking the very landscape that resurrected him.
Roosevelt first came to North Dakota in September 1883, arriving by train with the simple intent to hunt bison. But something about this stark, sculpted landscape spoke to him. Before leaving, he had invested in two ranches: the Maltese Cross and the Elkhorn. When tragedy struck the following year, Roosevelt returned to these rugged lands seeking "refuge, healing, and strength." He found all three. Years later, as president, he would reflect: "I never would have been President if it had not been for my experiences in North Dakota." The region, he declared, was where "the romance of my life began." If forced to retain just one memory from his entire life, Roosevelt said he would choose "the memory of my life on the ranch, with its experiences close to Nature and among the men who lived nearest her."
The Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library will not sit in a major city or on a university campus. Instead, it will occupy a butte in the badlands west of Medora, North Dakota, near the Burning Hills Amphitheater and the south entrance to Theodore Roosevelt National Park. The site selection itself reflects Roosevelt's unconventional spirit. Twelve architectural firms competed for the commission before the Foundation selected Snohetta, the Norwegian firm known for designing the National September 11 Museum, the Oslo Opera House, and the Bibliotheca Alexandrina. The 90.3-acre site, formerly U.S. Forest Service land, was purchased by the Roosevelt family. Construction moved forward after the foundation raised $100 million, unlocking a $50 million operating endowment from the North Dakota Legislature.
The library will house an unexpected piece of New York history. In January 2022, the Equestrian Statue of Theodore Roosevelt was removed from its longtime position outside the American Museum of Natural History, where it had faced Central Park West since 1940. The bronze statue, depicting Roosevelt on horseback flanked by African and Native American figures, generated controversy over its subordinate depiction of these companion figures. Now on long-term loan to the library, the statue awaits a new context in the badlands. How and where it will be displayed remains to be determined, a curatorial challenge that mirrors the complex task of interpreting Roosevelt's legacy of conservation and expansion, progressivism and imperialism.
The presidential library is planned to open to the public in July 2026. Its remote location represents what some call a calculated risk. The population of western North Dakota is sparse, and Medora itself is a town of fewer than 150 residents. But supporters see poetry in the geography. Doug Burgum, the former North Dakota governor and now U.S. Secretary of the Interior, has championed the project, citing the state's unique opportunity to honor "one of the most dynamic, influential, and world-changing presidents in the history of the US." Theodore Roosevelt V, the president's great-great grandson, has advocated tirelessly for the library's placement in the badlands his ancestor loved. The location may be unconventional, but then, so was the man it honors.
Located at 46.916N, 103.552W near Medora, North Dakota. The library site sits atop a butte overlooking the badlands terrain. Nearest airport is Dickinson Theodore Roosevelt Regional (KDIK), approximately 35 miles east. The site is visible from the air near the distinctive Burning Hills Amphitheater and the south unit entrance of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Best viewed at 3,000-5,000 feet AGL for terrain context.