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In the summer of 1898, Theodore Roosevelt resigned a comfortable post as Assistant Secretary of the Navy, pulled together a regiment of cowboys and Ivy Leaguers, ranchers and lawmen, and sailed for Cuba. He came home a colonel. Many of the Rough Riders he led did not come home at all.
Roosevelt carried those men with him for the rest of his life. He wrote about them, raised money for their families, and never stopped believing that a free country owes a debt to those who serve it. Two decades later, he would pay the deepest price himself, when his youngest son Quentin was killed flying over France in the First World War.
T.R. believed service was the rent we pay for the privilege of citizenship. As he put it in The Strenuous Life: “A man’s first duty is to his own home, but he is not thereby excused from doing his duty to the State; for if he fails in this second duty it is under the penalty of ceasing to be a freeman.”
This Memorial Day, we remember the Americans who gave that fullest measure of duty — and the families who carry their absence.
Forty days until July 4.
The Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library will open its doors on America’s 250th birthday. Opening day is sold out, but tickets are available for the rest of 2026 — and they’re moving quickly.
Reserve your tickets →
We can’t wait to welcome you to the Badlands.
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What does it take to build a presidential library on the edge of the Badlands? Our 2025 Annual Report has the answer. It covers the construction milestones, the artifacts arriving from across the country, the galleries taking shape, and the team coming together to welcome you this July. It’s a year of momentum, told in full.
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The Library is in its final stretch. Crews are putting the finishing touches on the building, the galleries are taking shape inside, and the Badlands around us are coming into full spring. Fresh photos from May have just been posted — take a look at what’s waiting for you in 40 days.
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Get Your TRPL Merchandise
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Before you arrive in Medora, gear up for the trip. The online store features apparel, accessories, and keepsakes you won’t find anywhere else — a limited Founding collection celebrating the Library, the Badlands, and the man who fell in love with both. Be among the first to wear it home.
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A Permanent Place in the Story
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Theodore Roosevelt liked to say that credit belongs to the one in the arena. When the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library opens July 4, the credit will belong to its Founding Members — the people who stepped into the arena before the doors were even built.
Because of you, the Library opens with a foundation rooted in TR’s own values: leadership, citizenship, and conservation. Your Founding Member designation is permanent. Your name is part of this story from the beginning, and it always will be.
In June, every Founding Member will receive a commemorative coin in the mail — a tangible thank-you for an immeasurable gift.
Thank you for daring greatly with us.
Not yet a Founding Member? Become one today. You’ll receive 10% off everything in our online shop — including our new Founding collection — and your name will join the people who built this place.
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Theodore Roosevelt Day Comes to Huntington Beach
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Earlier this month, the City of Huntington Beach, California, officially established Theodore Roosevelt Day. Our Manager of Public Programming and Education, Marcie Woehl, represented the Library across a full day of events — delivered an evening keynote, and received an original signed proclamation from the mayor.
Marcie also used the trip to build relationships, meeting with leadership at the Nixon Library and The Huntington Library, and joined a small VIP gathering with Justice Neil Gorsuch at the Nixon.
Meanwhile, Alice Wynd, Digital History and Engagement Associate, is leading the development of the Bloomberg Connects digital guide — a free platform that will share the stories of the Library, the National Park, and North Dakota’s Indigenous communities with anyone, anywhere.
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Inside the Galleries: A Sneak Peek
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Walk into the Library today and you’ll hear drills, see ladders, and step around scaffolding — but the exhibits are taking shape, gallery by gallery.
Exhibition Manager Katie Moon, sent over a few in-progress photos from inside the building this week.
In the Governorship Gallery, cameras and interactive technology are being installed.
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In the Narrative Gallery, casework — the display structures that will hold T.R.’s artifacts and personal effects — is going in now. All casework should be in place by next week, with the artifacts themselves arriving later in June.
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And in the Orientation Area, where participants will first gather to watch the opening film before stepping into the full exhibit, the space is starting to feel like itself.
Every photo brings us a little closer to July 4.
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The road to opening day is generating headlines from coast to coast. A few recent highlights:
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In April, Bank of America announced a $5 million gift to the Library at a reception at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. — a remarkable show of national support for an institution rising on a Badlands bluff. Our CEO Ed O’Keefe was on hand to thank the company and share the story of T.R.’s extraordinary life and the Library’s mission. Read in Press Release →
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On April 27, we unveiled the full schedule of opening week events, July 1–4 — a mix of public programming, founding benefactor gatherings, concerts, and nightly drone shows building to the July 4 grand opening ceremony. Read in the Fargo Forum →
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East Wing Magazine featured a national preview of the Library’s grand opening, walking readers through T.R.’s North Dakota story and what to expect on July 4. Read in East Wing Magazine →
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On May 6, Governor Kelly Armstrong visited Medora to preview the summer ahead, alongside Library Executive Director Robbie Lauf and Theodore Roosevelt National Park Superintendent Rachel Daniels. The press conference was covered by the Associated Press, North Dakota Monitor, Bismarck Tribune, Fargo Forum, Prairie Public, KFYR, KVRR, and statewide TV and radio. Read in the North Dakota Monitor →
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Hosted by Ted Roosevelt V, this podcast brings together thinkers, leaders, and citizens for honest conversations about how to live a meaningful life in a complicated time. Three recent episodes worth your headphones:
Dana Milbank: Retreat, Restore, Rehumanize (May 22) The longtime political columnist traded the outrage cycle for 60 acres of overgrown Virginia farmland — and discovered that as he changed the land, the land changed him. A conversation about hunting, stewardship, and how even brief moments outdoors can give back what screens have stripped away.
Senator Mitt Romney on Formative Moments, Presidential Leadership, and the Question of Legacy (May 8) What allows a leader to hold to his principles when almost every incentive pulls the other way? Senator Romney traces the formative moments with his father that shaped his moral compass — and offers a surprisingly simple framework for rediscovering the values most Americans already share.
Dr. Vivek Murthy on Loneliness, Staying Human, and What True Success Looks Like (April 24) The 19th and 21st Surgeon General of the United States makes the case for a fundamental reordering of what we value. He describes a “triad of fulfillment” that’s the path to real flourishing — and reveals his next chapter, a new podcast called Staying Human.
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When T.R. resigned a comfortable government post in 1898, sailed for Cuba with a regiment of cowboys, ranchers, Ivy Leaguers, and Native American scouts, and charged up a hill in Cuba — he became one of the most famous Americans alive.
Test yourself with the Rough Rider Quiz.
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Support the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library and help bring this vision to life. Every gift—at every level—plays a role in building a place that will inspire leadership, conservation, and citizenship for generations to come.
In recognition of this support, every benefactor will be honored on the Library’s virtual donor wall, ensuring their contribution becomes a lasting part of the TRPL story.
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The Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library is growing — and hiring across a wide range of roles in preparation for opening this July. From guest experience and education to operations, facilities, and leadership positions, there are opportunities to be part of building and activating a new kind of presidential library.
Join the team helping bring this vision to life in Medora and shape an experience that will inspire visitors for generations to come.
Explore open positions and apply: https://www.trlibrary.com/careers
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