MEDORA— The Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in Medora, North Dakota, is almost ready to open.
Watch the full video below:
The $450 million library had a soft opening for donors Friday, but the grand opening for the public will be Saturday, as the country celebrates its 250th Independence Day.
The building is 96,000 square feet and sits on a 93-acre campus nestled in the Badlands, on the edge of Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
It features artifacts from Roosevelt’s life and an interactive museum, depicting the life of the 26th president of the United States.
“Most museums you go to, you see objects under glass you really can’t touch. Here, we want you to be able to explore,” said the library’s Chief Communications Officer Matt Briney.
Briney expects 2,000 guests to show up for the grand opening Saturday.
“Theodore Roosevelt was president during the 125th, so he stands right in the middle between our nation’s founding and where we are today,” he said.
Visitors of the library can enter immersive experiences, such as sitting by a campfire exhibit depicting Roosevelt’s Elkhorn Ranch.
The library also features Roosevelt’s journal from 1884, when his mother, Martha “Mittie” Bulloch Roosevelt and his wife, Alice Hathaway Lee Roosevelt, died. Roosevelt famously wrote, “The light has gone out of my life,” and marked a large “X” on the page, before heading back to the Dakota Territory.
Jake Barton, founder of Local Projects, collaborated to design the museum, giving MTN an in-depth glimpse into Roosevelt’s life.
“Theodore Roosevelt was a man of action and also a man of words. He was the biggest reader and biggest writer, author of any president. But he was also a soldier. He was a hunter,” said Barton. “He’s the only president for whom he’s claimed by the far left as well as the far right.”
Barton showed MTN other artifacts from Roosevelt’s life.
One of those artifacts included a cartoon of Roosevelt from his time as a police commissioner.
“You can see his signature glasses and mustache, almost highlight him as the original meme creator of the 19th century,” said Barton. “He basically understood very, very early how to work the media.”
The wooden, curved exterior of the museum was made to blend in with the landscape. Landscape architect Michelle Delk told MTN she spent time camping at the site where the library now stands.
“We really began to think about—the landscape is the library itself,” said Delk.
She said the campus was created to feed into trails, so visitors can enjoy the surrounding environment.
“You can start right here to go on a hike or go on a bike ride or even a horseback ride,” said Delk.
Roosevelt first visited the Dakota territory in 1883 to hunt bison.
He became the nation’s youngest president at 42 years old in 1901, following the assassination of President William McKinley. He was elected for a full term in 1904.
Roosevelt is known for creating several national parks and monuments, as well as leading the “Rough Riders” during the Spanish-American War in 1898.
“I hope they notice the impact Roosevelt had on this country. He was (an) amazing, resilient fellow, who was a terrific leader,” said donor Greg Tschetter, a former Theodore Roosevelt Medora Foundation Board member.
Visitors can view the library’s ticket page here.
