Wok N Roll with us...Bob and Teri Along with Atlas and Kalani: Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota October 2, 2018

Theodore Roosevelt first visited the North Dakota Badlands in 1883. During this hunting trip, he became enamored with the area and cowboy life. On this trip he purchased the Maltese Ranch. He returned back to New York and 5 months later, just two days after giving birth to their first daughter, Teddy Roosevelt’s wife died from an undiagnosed case of kidney disease. On the same day, just eleven hours earlier Teddy’s mother had died of typhoid fever in the same house. Totally distraught, Teddy left his daughter with his sister in New York City and set off to find a way to pull himself together (he regained custody of his daughter when she was 3). He returned again to the Badlands and established an even larger ranch-Elkhorn Ranch in 1884. He stayed very involved in the Badlands of North Dakota area, traveling there often, through 1898 when he sold the Elkhorn Ranch.

During his Presidency, Roosevelt established the US Forest Service and proclaimed 18 National Monuments. He also established 5 National Parks, 51 Wildlife Refuges and 150 National Forests. The history of this area along with Roosevelt’s conservation efforts makes it a fitting choice that in 1978 this park was designated the Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

The park is home to a variety of Great Plains wildlife. While some are harder to spot there is an abundance of prairie dogs, feral horses, and buffalo. This Badlands landscape glowed with many fall colors and the park this time of year has a solitude that reminds one of the centuries past.

Next, we head off to the capital city of North Dakota, Bismarck.