Theodore Roosevelt National Park, South Unit
Located in southwestern North Dakota, Theodore Roosevelt National Park is made up of 3 separate sections: the South Unit, the North Unit and Elkhorn Ranch. Unlike other parks, these sections are not connected, but each one provides visitors scenic trails, extraordinary landscape and waterways to explore. The park has over 70,000 acres with the South Unit containing more than 46,000 acres, the North Unit over 24,000 and the Elkhorn Ranch has over 214 acres.
In 1883, Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt went to hunt buffalo in the Badlands of North Dakota, and after 15 days ended up buying a ranch there. He asked his partners to build a cabin on it – the Maltese Cross cabin, which still exists today. When he returned to North Dakota in 1884 he bought a second ranch, Elkhorn, which would became his “home” ranch. Although he had sold his land and cattle by the 1898, he continued to make stops in Medora, North Dakota near his former ranch for the rest of his life. In 1947, the Elkhorn Ranch and lands in the South Unit became Theodore Roosevelt National Memorial Park. The North Unit was added a year later, and in 1978, President Carter signed a bill creating Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
