Grand Opening Ceremony of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library

More than a century in the making, the nation's newest presidential library stands in the Badlands of Medora, North Dakota — the same hard, beautiful country that shaped Theodore Roosevelt as a young man and, in his own telling, made him the leader he became.

This is the full Grand Opening Ceremony. It begins where the story of this land begins: with a blessing from the MHA Nation (Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara), whose homeland this has always been. The cast of the Medora Musical performs the national anthem, and speakers reflect on the Library's three guiding pillars — leadership, citizenship, and conservation — and on what Roosevelt's legacy still asks of us today.

Speakers include:

Hilary Hamm, Chair, Board of Trustees
Governor Kelly Armstrong
U.S. Senator John Hoeven
U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer
North Dakota Senate Leader David Hogue
North Dakota House Leader Mike LaFoure
Theodore Roosevelt V, on behalf of the Roosevelt family
Ed O'Keefe, CEO

The ceremony closes with a Roosevelt family tradition — the branding of a piece of wood from Sagamore Hill — and the official declaration that the Library is open.

As Roosevelt himself put it, and as the Library takes to heart: this is a place for "your children, your children's children, and all who come after you."

Plan your visit and explore the collections at trlibrary.com.

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