# The Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in North Dakota **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 2, 2026, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-theodore-roosevelt-presidential-library-in-north-dakota/1031345 "2026-07-02T01:43:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2026, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-theodore-roosevelt-presidential-library-in-north-dakota/1031345/1 "2026-07-02T01:43:54Z")
The Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library is opening July 4 in North Dakota: > “The Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library is unlike any other presidential library in the country,” says Robbie Lauf, executive director of the 12-year, **$450 million project** , which opens on July 4 in Medora, coinciding with America’s 250th anniversary. “Certainly it’s a place of learning, but it is also an experience. It’s not a box in the Badlands, but a gateway to them. It’s a national institution worthy of Roosevelt’s stature and legacy.” > **[Inside The New Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library](https://www.cowboysindians.com/2026/06/inside-the-new-theodore-roosevelt-presidential-library/)** > > On America's 250th birthday, the long-awaited Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library opens at the very spot where its honoree found his footing, launched a legacy, and sowed an enduring national spirit. I am surprised they were able to raise that much money. Anyone care to share their opinion of him? I appreciate what he did for conservation. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2026, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-theodore-roosevelt-presidential-library-in-north-dakota/1031345/2 "2026-07-02T01:46:18Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > “Certainly it’s a place of learning, but it is also an experience. It’s not a box in the Badlands, but a gateway to them. It’s a national institution worthy of Roosevelt’s stature and legacy.” The only thing missing to confirm for me that this pitch was written by ChatGPT is the presence of an emdash. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2026, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-theodore-roosevelt-presidential-library-in-north-dakota/1031345/3 "2026-07-02T02:14:19Z")
How has he not already had one, for decades? ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2026, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-theodore-roosevelt-presidential-library-in-north-dakota/1031345/4 "2026-07-02T02:25:07Z")
I do some coin collecting, and appreciate how he was able to direct the US mint to produce some of the most beautiful coins ever made. For example, look at the Saint Gaudens $20 Double Eagle: [https://www.si.edu/object/20-dollars-united-states-1907-ultra-high-relief-pattern%3Anmah\_1100219](https://www.si.edu/object/20-dollars-united-states-1907-ultra-high-relief-pattern%3Anmah_1100219) ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2026, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-theodore-roosevelt-presidential-library-in-north-dakota/1031345/5 "2026-07-02T02:45:56Z")
No. You might be thinking of Franklin D. Roosevelt who had the first Presidential Library: > **[Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franklin_D._Roosevelt_Presidential_Library_and_Museum)** > > The Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum is a presidential library in Hyde Park, New York. Located on the grounds of Springwood, the Roosevelt family estate, it holds the records of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the 32nd president of the United States (1933–1945). The library was built under the President's personal direction in 1939–1940, and dedicated on June 30, 1941. It is the first presidential library in the United States and one of the thirteen presidential libraries under ... ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2026, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-theodore-roosevelt-presidential-library-in-north-dakota/1031345/6 "2026-07-02T05:31:47Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > How has he not already had one, for decades? Presidential libraries weren’t really a thing in the modern sense until FDR. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2026, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-theodore-roosevelt-presidential-library-in-north-dakota/1031345/7 "2026-07-02T10:58:25Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > How has he not already had one, for decades? That was like my thought, which was _They took their own sweet time_. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2026, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-theodore-roosevelt-presidential-library-in-north-dakota/1031345/8 "2026-07-02T10:58:54Z")
Thanks for this thread @PastTense. I’m planning a summer motorcycle road trip vacation to western SD, and this library in western ND (Medora ND) is near enough that I might be able to visit it. My wife and I like visiting these. > [@Chronos](#): > > How has he not already had one, for decades? Teddy’s library is not one of the “official” Presidential Libraries administered by US NARA (National Archives and Records Administration). Currently there are 16, from Hoover to Biden; ✓ #31 Herbert Hoover — West Branch IA ✓✓ #32 Franklin Roosevelt — Hyde Park NY ✓✓ #33 Harry Truman — Independence MO ✓✓ #34 Dwight Eisenhower — Abilene KS ✓ #35 John Kennedy — Boston MA ✓✓ #36 Lyndon Johnson — Austin TX ✓✓ #37 Richard Nixon — Yorba Linda CA #38 Gerald Ford — Ann Arbor MI; Grand Rapids MI ✓✓ #39 Jimmy Carter — Atlanta GA ✓✓ #40 Ronald Reagan — Simi Valley CA ✓✓ #41 George H.W. Bush — College Station TX ✓ #42 Bill Clinton — Little Rock AR #43 George W. Bush — Dallas TX #44 Barack Obama — Hoffman Estates IL - not yet open to the public #45, 47 Donald Trump #46 Joseph Biden Jr. (✓✓ = my wife and I have visited; ✓ = just I) Wiki has a nice list of the 16 ‘official’ ones and many other Presidents’ libraries. ➜ `https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presidential_library_system#List_of_presidential_libraries` ■ Note that it’s not complete list. Some presidents are missing, e.g., I’ve visited #23 Benjamin Harrison’s Presidential Site in Indianapolis but it’s not in the wiki list. ➜ `https://bhpsite.org`■ Wiki states, _While not sanctioned and maintained by NARA, libraries and museums have also been organized for several presidents who preceded Hoover and the official start of the Presidential Library Office._ Per wiki, Teddy has (at least) 3 libraries, 1 of which is the one in Medora ND opening Saturday.