The Father of National Parks

Theodore Roosevelt is one of more interesting presidents in U.S. history. A Republican who took over for William McKinley after he was assassinated in 1901, Roosevelt came in as a war hero who was somewhat controversial in that he was considered conservative on some issues and liberal on others. For someone like myself, however, he will forever be known as the president who advanced the concept of national parks.

Prior to Roosevelt, there were only four national parks and they were all west of the Mississippi. However, Roosevelt placed an emphasis on conservation so it was only natural that an expansion of nationally-protected land would take place during his administration. During his administration, he established 150 national forests, 51 federal bird reserves, four national game preserves, five national parks and 18 national monuments on over 230 million acres of public land.

Roosevelt was such a strong advocate of national parks, he was known to visit them frequently during his time as president. And in 1978, Theodore Roosevelt National Park was opened in North Dakota in his honor. Roosevelt was also honored as part of Mount Rushmore, which I was able to see during the South Dakota part of my trip.

This national park was just one of the stops I made during my trip and the middle part of my trip the day I left South Dakota. My trek through Wyoming took me through Sundance - known for its now-famous film festival - before I turned north to view a sight that can't be missed in this part of the country.

The first major stop of the day was Devil’s Tower National Monument, which is located in northeast Wyoming. A protruding mass of rock standing out among the plains, Devil’s Tower has a history of being sacred among the tribal nations in the area and is a popular location for hiking and climbing. For me, it was a great opportunity for some photos and views of nature, and then on to the next stop. 

After going north through Wyoming and into Montana, I cut through to North Dakota before heading back through Montana to check out Pompey’s Pillar just east of Billings. Located near the Yellowstone River, this rock formation was part of the path taken by the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The name “Pompey” actually stemmed from the son of famed native American guide Sacagawea - who was nicknamed Pompy. Unfortunately, the park was one of two destinations on this trip closed presumably due to COVID-19, but I was still able to get a couple of photos of the pillar from the entrance.

With Montana expected to be in the rear view the next morning, I eagerly anticipated the reason for the trip - Yellowstone National Park.