When he arrived in the Dakotas (above), Roosevelt couldn’t find any animals, and was saddened that one of his favorite American mammals—the bison (Bison bison)—was being hunted almost to extinction. The eye-opening trip led him to take up conservation as a personal and political cause.

Despite his dismay over vanishing bison, Roosevelt’s passion for the West was only strengthened by his two-week trip. He promptly bought Maltese Cross Ranch (above) and began a cattle ranching business.

During the trip, Roosevelt shared Maltese Cross Ranch’s one room with his two guides (above). He embraced cowboy life, happily trading the comforts of New York for the hard work of ranching in the so-called Badlands.

By the time Roosevelt visited the Badlands in 1883, the bison population on the Great Plains had dwindled from nearly 30 million to 1,000. In 1956, bison were successfully reintroduced to the area surrounding Roosevelt’s ranch.

Thanks to those conservation efforts, veterinary staff can now export animals to zoos, national parks and Native American lands, while some 700 bison near Medora, North Dakota—in what was designated Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Park in 1947—continue to thrive.

Elkhorn Ranch Finding that his first ranch, Maltese Cross (or Chimney Butte), didn’t provide the solitude he yearned for, Roosevelt chose a secluded spot near the Little Missouri River for Elkhorn Ranch (above), his “home ranch” for two years.

The Cattle Business

Roosevelt threw himself into cattle ranching and got off to a modestly successful start. But in the winter of 1886-87 severe cold and storms killed more than 60 percent of his cattle, ending his ranching business.

Elkhorn Site Threatened At the Theodore Roosevelt National Park today, the primary threat to ecosystems and wildlife is incompatible development. Proposed roads and bridges, oil and gas drilling, mineral rights and ranching interests threaten the area’s stability.

Conservation Efforts Due to development, the remoteness that Roosevelt cherished is now threatened and in 2012, Elkhorn Ranch was listed on the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s list of the 11 most endangered historic places.

“In descending a sheer wall of rock the big-horn holds all four feet together and goes down in long jumps, bounding off the surface almost like a rubber ball every time he strikes it." –Hunting Trips of a Ranchman

“Sinewy, hardy, self-reliant, their life forces [cowboys] to be both daring and adventurous, and the passing over their heads of a few years leaves printed on their faces certain lines which tell of dangers quietly fronted and hardships uncomplainingly endured.” –Hunting Trips of a Ranchman

“From the low, long veranda [of Elkhorn Ranch], shaded by leafy cotton-woods, one looks across sand bars and shallows to a strip of meadowland, behind which rises a line of sheer cliffs and grassy plateaus.” –Hunting Trips of a Ranchman

“In summer time we are not much within doors, for we rise before dawn and work hard enough to be willing to go to bed soon after nightfall.” –Hunting Trips of a Ranchman

“The free, open-air life of the ranchman, the pleasantest and healthiest life in America, is from its very nature ephemeral. The broad and boundless prairies have already been bounded and will soon be made narrow.” –Hunting Trips of a Ranchman

Young Love

During the summer before starting at Harvard, Roosevelt (standing, left) formed a strong relationship with Edith (seated, left). Though little is known of their relationship, it’s thought that the two had talked of a future together.

Reconnecting In October 1885, Roosevelt saw Edith for the first time in years. Their old flame was rekindled and by November, the two were engaged.

World Travels

In 1910, Edith visited Egypt and the Sudan with her husband, who had just finished a year-long expedition in Africa.

Lifelong Partners

Theodore and Edith had a famously successful marriage. They loved and respected each other, and Theodore often turned to her for advice. She offered a calming counterpart to Roosevelt’s boundless energy and enthusiasm.

"As the children grew up, Sagamore Hill remained delightful for them," Roosevelt wrote in 1913. "There were picnics and riding parties, there were dances in the north room—sometimes fancy dress dances..."

Though Roosevelt planned for three-year-old Alice (above, age 18) to remain with his sister, Edith brought her into the family at Sagamore Hill.

Roosevelt encouraged his children to play vigorously and explore the natural world, pastimes he had often had to forgo during the asthmatic spells of his boyhood. He reveled in moments when he joined—and often planned—the children’s adventures around Oyster Bay.

Roosevelt led his children, nieces and nephews and their friends on hikes around Oyster Bay. The group of boys and girls followed their leader, rowing, swimming or climbing over any obstacle in their way.

Sagamore Hill was filled not only with eight Roosevelts—Theodore, Edith, Alice, Ted, Kermit, Ethel, Archie and Quentin—it also housed numerous pets. Dogs, ponies, parrots, badgers and more were as comfortable at Sagamore Hill as the Roosevelts.

"There are many kinds of success in life worth having. It is exceedingly attractive to be a successful…writer, or a President, or a ranchman, or the colonel of a fighting regiment…But…a household of children…makes all other forms of achievement lose their importance by comparison." –Theodore Roosevelt

Roosevelt became so fond of Burroughs (above at his home in West Park, New York), that he called him “Oom John,” or “Uncle John” in letters. Years later, Burroughs chronicled the adventures of their 1903 trip to Yellowstone in Camping and Tramping with Roosevelt.

“Why, I cannot now recall that I have ever met a man with a keener and more comprehensive interest in the wild life about us—an interest that is at once scientific and thoroughly human.” -Camping and Tramping with Roosevelt

“He is doubtless the most vital man on the continent, if not the planet, today. He is many sided, and every side throbs with his tremendous life and energy…” -Camping and Tramping with Roosevelt

“When the sleigh would… begin to drag heavily, [Roosevelt] would bound out nimbly and take to his heels, and then the three of us…would follow suit, sometimes reluctantly on my part.”  -Camping and Tramping with Roosevelt

Roosevelt (front row, third from right) recruited more than 1,200 Rough Riders from all backgrounds. New York aristocrats, cowboys, college athletes and Native Americans volunteered for the regiment and joined Roosevelt in Cuba.

While serving in the Rough Riders, Roosevelt (standing, left) was fond of his two war horses, Rain-in-the-Face and Texas. During his off hours, he spent time with the Rough Riders’ adopted pets: Cuba the dog, Teddy the golden eagle and  Josephine the cougar.

On July 1, 1898, Roosevelt (depicted here on horseback) led the charge up San Juan Heights, giving U.S. forces a strategic position above Santiago de Cuba. Roosevelt called it “the great day of my life.” In 2001 he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.