Elkhorn Timeline
THEODORE ROOSEVELT MAKES HIS FIRST VISIT TO THE BADLANDS AND BUYS THE MALTESE CROSS RANCH
At 24 years old, Theodore Roosevelt made his first visit to the Badlands of North Dakota. Roosevelt originally made this trip to hunt bison, unaware of how it would change his life. He fell in love with the frontier lifestyle of the Badlands and invested in the Maltese Cross Ranch (also known as Chimney Butte), seven miles south of the Northern Pacific Railroad. This visit laid the groundwork for Roosevelt’s passion for conservation of animals and habitat.
THEODORE ROOSEVELT’S DAUGHTER ALICE IS BORN
During the evening of February 12, 1884, Theodore Roosevelt’s wife Alice gave birth to an almost nine-pound daughter named Alice Lee Roosevelt. Unfortunately, Roosevelt’s wife was suffering from Bright’s disease and passed away two days later at 2 p.m. on February 14, 1884, with Roosevelt by her side. Alice was buried on February 16, and daughter Alice was christened the day after the funeral. Roosevelt was 25 years old when his daughter was born.
THEODORE ROOSEVELT’S MOTHER MITTIE AND HIS WIFE ALICE DIE ON THE SAME DAY
Just two days after the birth of his daughter Alice, Theodore Roosevelt’s mother Mittie and wife Alice died on the same day on February 14, 1884. Mittie died from typhoid fever at three in the morning and Alice died from Bright’s disease in the afternoon. They were both buried on February 16, 1884. Roosevelt famously marked an X in his pocket diary with the words, “The light has gone out of my life.” Roosevelt was only 25 years old.
THEODORE ROOSEVELT RETURNS TO THE BADLANDS AND ESTABLISHES THE ELKHORN RANCH
Mourning the loss of his wife and mother, 25-year-old Theodore Roosevelt returned to the Badlands where he established the Elkhorn Ranch. He embraced the strenuous lifestyle and became a big game hunter, a rancher, and an authentic cowboy. Roosevelt credited North Dakota with being the place where “the romance of [his] life began.”
THEODORE ROOSEVELT WENT HUNTING FOR GRIZZLIES IN WYOMING’S BIGHORN MOUNTAINS
During his time in Dakota Territory, Theodore Roosevelt participated in many activities from roundups to hunting trips. On August 18, 1884, he left from his ranches to start out for a two months’ trip to the Bighorn Mountains in Wyoming with his foreman, William Merrifield, and a teamster named Norman Lebo. Roosevelt killed several grizzlies, including one which was nearly nine feet long and weighed over a thousand pounds.
THEODORE ROOSEVELT ORGANIZES THE LITTLE MISSOURI STOCKMAN’S ASSOCIATION
Seeing the need for a central group who could enforce range rules in Medora, North Dakota, a group of stockmen began to form the Little Missouri Stockmen’s Association. The group stalled their first meeting until Theodore Roosevelt gave his support. Roosevelt was elected chairman of the Little Missouri Stockmen’s Association.
THEODORE ROOSEVELT NEARLY DUELS WITH THE MARQUIS DE MORÈS
The Marquis de Morès, French nobleman and founder of Medora, North Dakota, occasionally clashed with Theodore Roosevelt during their shared time in the Badlands. The two nearly resorted to a duel in 1885. While in jail during his trial for suspected murder, the Marquis, who was later acquitted, wrote to Roosevelt, asking if the latter was responsible for putting him in jail. The end of his letter implied the threat of a duel. Roosevelt, who had not acted against the Marquis, sent a careful reply that diffused the tension between the two.
