North Dakota Vacation and Travel Ideas for Literary Tours

Maltese Cross Ranch Cabin
Theodore Roosevelt National Park
Medora, ND
Website: http://www.nps.gov/thro/tr_cabin.htm
Email: - none listed
Phone: Go to National Park Service homepage

Theodore Roosevelt (1858 - 1919), 26th president of the United States, actively ranched in the North Dakota badlands during the 1880s, and maintained a ranching interest in the area until 1898.  His experiences here would strongly influence his conservation policies as president. 

The Maltese Cross Ranch Cabin was custom-built for Roosevelt, and was considered very luxurious with its wooden floor and three separate rooms (kitchen, living room, and bedroom).  It was here that Roosevelt wrote Hunting Trips of a Ranchman between 1884 and 1885.  Visitors to the site today can see the president's writing desk, rocking chair, and clothing trunk, along with a number of other period furnishings that have been added to give visitors a sense of the appearance of the cabin when Roosevelt occupied it. 
Self-guided tours are the only option in the off-season while guided tours are available during the summer months.  Besides the historic relevance, the badlands are one of the most spectacular natural wonders in the United States, thus a visit is worthwhile.

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