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Among American presidents, President Theodore Roosevelt stands out for his devotion to conservation. An avid outdoorsman, he used his authority as president to protect wildlife and nature by creating the United States Forest Service (USFS), establishing 150 national forests, 51 federal bird reserves, 4 national game reserves, 5 national parks, and 18 national monuments.
Now, 107 years after his death, the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library will open its doors on July 4, 2026 in Medora, North Dakota. The National Park Service will loan several artifacts to the museum, whose opening coincides with the nation’s 250th anniversary celebration this week.
According to the NPS, these loaned materials will help connect visitors to Teddy Roosevelt’s journey from his childhood on the bustling streets of New York City to the wilds of the Badlands of North Dakota, to his presidency and preservation. The loan inventory contains more than 50 important artifacts.
‘March’ of the Rough Rider
During the Spanish-American War in 1898, Roosevelt served in the 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry, also known as the Rough Riders. The Rough Riders participated in two major battles in Cuba: the Battle of Las Guasimas on June 24 and the Battle of San Juan Heights on July 1.
During the Battle of Las Guasimas, Roosevelt narrowly avoided passing bullets several times. He called the subsequent Battle of San Juan Heights, “the great day of my life.” Roosevelt led a series of charges up Kettle Hill toward San Juan Heights on his horse, Texas. He went up and down the hill cheering the Rough Riders on with orders to “March!”
His Rough Rider uniform can be seen in the new library and is on loan from the Sagamore Hill National Historic Site in Oyster Bay, New York.
A speech that stops bullets and a glasses case.
On October 14, 1912, while running for a third term as president with the Bull Moose Party, an assassin named John Flammang Schrank shot Roosevelt during a campaign speech in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. His steel eyeglass case and a folded 50-page campaign speech helped save his life. Although the bullet eventually lodged in Roosevelt’s chest, the eyeglass case and speech papers slowed the bullet and it stopped just short of hitting any vital organs.
When an angry mob of Roosevelt supporters formed around Schrank, Roosevelt was able to calm the crowd until the police arrived. Roosevelt refused medical care and gave his speech, all while bleeding. He told the crowd: “It takes more than [a bullet] kill a bull elk.”
The glasses case and stump speech were on loan from the Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site in New York City.
A compass as a guide
What is a good naturalist without a compass? Your compass is on loan from Theodore Roosevelt National Park in Medora, North Dakota.
“For Roosevelt, a compass was more than a navigation instrument,” writes the National Park Service. “It represented his commitment to the natural world and his willingness to confront it head-on, whether on the Dakota plains, in remote hunting preserves, or later on scientific expeditions abroad.”
how to visit
The Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library opens its doors on July 4 and will be located at the entrance to Theodore Roosevelt National Park. It is the only one of the 63 iconic national parks to be named after a person.
Both sites will host a series of special interpretive programs, ranger-led talks, family activities and youth ranger opportunities throughout the summer. Ranger programs will explore Roosevelt’s conservation legacy, while junior ranger activities will encourage younger visitors to explore the former president’s values of stewardship, service and exploration.
“We are honored to partner with the National Park Service to help tell the story of Theodore Roosevelt through authentic artifacts and shared educational experiences,” Edward O’Keefe, executive director of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library, said in a statement. “This collaboration brings together the places that shaped Roosevelt’s life and legacy while inspiring visitors to embrace leadership, conservation and civic engagement in their own communities.”
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