Dickinson in Stark County, North Dakota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
The Man
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, August 23, 2023
1. The Man Marker
Theodore Roosevelt was 27 years old when he delivered his famous Independence Day speech in Dickinson in 1886. The New York assemblyman, writer, and informer first came to the Dakota Badlands in September 1883 to kill a bison. He got his buffalo but he also fell in love with the stark beauty of the landscape, which reminded him of the poetry of Edgar Allan Poe. Roosevelt invested in two ranches along the Little Missouri River, the Maltese Cross south of Medora (1883) and the Elkhorn in the remote Badlands 35 miles north of Medora (1884). Roosevelt regarded western North Dakota as one of the final frontiers in American history. He threw himself into the life of a cowboy, rancher, big game hunter, and deputy sheriff between 1883 and 1887. He developed many of his conservation principles here and gained a deeper respect for the hard-working men and women of the American heartland. The Badlands of North Dakota transformed Roosevelt from a New York "Dude" into the exemplar of the strenuous life.
Sculptor Tom Bollinger of Tempe, Arizona was commissioned to portray Roosevelt as a natural, if still somewhat unproven, young leader. When TR delivered his Fourth of July oration here in 1886, he was becoming the Theodore Roosevelt of American legend but the speech he delivered was surprisingly somber and his famous confidence was only
this page online
Bollinger, a 1978 Alumnus of Dickinson State University has previously sculpted the DSU Blue Hawk on the grounds of the Badlands Activities Center.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Government & Politics. In addition, it is included in the Former U.S. Presidents: #26 Theodore Roosevelt series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1883.
Location. 46° 52.918′ N, 102° 47.076′ W. Marker is in Dickinson, North Dakota, in Stark County. Marker is on 3rd Street East just east of Sims Street, on the left when traveling east. The marker is located on the Stark County Courthouse grounds, directly in front of the courthouse. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 51 3rd Street East, Dickinson ND 58601, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 7 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The Place (here, next to this marker); The Speech (here, next to this marker); Stark County Veterans Memorial (a few steps from this marker); SPC Jon Paul Fettig (approx. 0.6 miles away); May Hall (approx. ¾ mile away); Klinefelter Hall (Scott Hall) (approx. ¾ mile away); Stickney Hall (approx. ¾ mile away).
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker.
Also see . . .
1. Theodore Roosevelt: Elkhorn Ranch. National Park Service website entry:
Excerpt:
Theodore(Submitted on December 21, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)Roosevelt came to the North Dakota Badlands in September 1883 to hunt buffalo. By the end of his 15-day hunting trip, he had entered the cattle business with the purchase of the Chimney Butte Ranch, also known as the Maltese Cross Ranch. Five months later his wife, Alice, and his mother died on the same day. Grief stricken, Roosevelt decided to leave the East and increase his interests in the cattle business. After attending the 1884 Republican convention in June, where the candidate he was backing lost, Roosevelt left for the Dakota Territories to look for solitude. His cattle had wintered very well so he decided to put in 1,000 more head and "make it my regular business." During that visit, Roosevelt selected the location for a second ranch, naming it the Elkhorn. He purchased the rights to the site, located thirty-five miles north of Medora, from the previous occupant for $400.00.Theodore Roosevelt collection, Harvard College Library2. Marker detail: Theodore Roosevelt, 1883The photograph was not taken North of the Badlands but in a New York studio in 1883. Roosevelt fancied himself an "authentic American cowboy" but his attire marked him as a dude.
2. Theodore Roosevelt: The Man, the Legend. North Dakota website entry"
Excerpt:
He would return to North Dakota to hunt or tend to his cattle business in 13 of the next 14 years and on various campaign “whistle stops” through 1918. His adventures in the Badlands are the stuff of legends, beginning with a successful ranching operation he ran from the comforts of the Elkhorn Ranch(Submitted on December 21, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)cabin in 1885 and 1886. As a Billings County deputy sheriff in 1886, Roosevelt and two ranch hands chased down three boat thieves just as the spring thaw was breaking up ice on the Little Missouri River. The perilous ordeal covered 300 miles in sometimes bitter cold and took two weeks to chase down the thieves and turn them over to authorities in Dickinson. Roosevelt ranched until a long, cold winter in 1886-87 decimated much of his ranching interests. He lost more than half his cattle and by the early 1890s abandoned the Elkhorn Ranch site and returned to the Maltese Cross Ranch. He sold his last stock in 1898 and returned to politics and other adventures.Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, August 23, 20233. The Man MarkerLooking northwest. Marker is the leftmost of three related markers behind the Theodore Roosevelt sculpture. Stark County Courthouse is in the right background.
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, August 23, 2023
4. Theodore Roosevelt Sculpture
Credits. This page was last revised on February 21, 2024. It was originally submitted on December 21, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 59 times since then and 21 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on December 21, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
