MEDORA, N.D. – Gov. Kelly Armstrong and Lt. Gov. Michelle Strinden today celebrated the grand opening of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in Medora with local, state and federal officials, praising the new facility for bringing Roosevelt’s impactful legacy to life for current and future generations of Americans.
Armstrong quoted the Independence Day remarks delivered by a 27-year-old Roosevelt in 1886 in the governor’s hometown of Dickinson, in which Roosevelt expressed his affinity for “big prairies, big forests and mountains, big wheat fields, railroads, and herds of cattle, too,” among other things. Roosevelt said, “we must keep steadily in mind that no people were ever yet benefited by riches if their prosperity corrupted their virtue.”
“The values T.R. carried away from these Badlands — hard work, conservation, and active citizenship — these are not historical artifacts. They are North Dakota values,” Armstrong said. “And they are exactly the values this library will showcase to the world.”
The 96,000-square-foot library will be open year-round, with interactive exhibits offering an immersive experience for citizens young and old, from North Dakota and beyond.
“If this was just a library built in remembrance of our 26th president, that would be enough. But it is so much more than that,” Armstrong said. “With this grand opening today, we honor the spirit of one of the most consequential figures in the 250-year history as the greatest country in the history of the world. The spirit of resilience, honesty, bravery. The spirit of big dreams and big ideas, and the perseverance to do the hard work required to turn them into reality.”
Roosevelt sought solace and healing in Medora after his wife and mother died on the same day in February 1884, writing in his journal, “The light has gone out of my life.” He established the Elkhorn Ranch – now often referred to as the “cradle of conservation” – and would later say that he would not have become president if not for his experience in North Dakota.
“Now, people from all over the world can come to this exact place, stand where T.R. stood, and feel – not just understand, but feel – how it changed him,” Armstrong said. “That’s what this library makes possible. And North Dakota is genuinely proud to offer it to the world.”
For more information, visit the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library’s website.