Maltese Cross Cabin
Preserving History

In view of the cabin's historical significance, the State of North Dakota acquired it shortly after Roosevelt became President. In 1904, it was dismantled, shipped to St. Louis, Missouri, and set up for exhibition at the Louisiana Purchase Expedition. It was such a great attraction that it was taken the next year to Portland, Oregon for the Lewis and Clark Exhibition. During 1906, it was exhibited at the North Dakota State Fair in Fargo and then placed on the capitol grounds at Bismarck where it was cared for and administered by the State of North Dakota and the Daughters of the American Revolution.

With the establishment of Theodore Roosevelt National Memorial Park in 1947, sentiment developed to return the cabin to the Little Missouri Badlands where it had originated. It was transferred to the National Park Service in 1959, and moved to its present location north of the visitor center. The cabin was then restored to its original appearance, including a high-pitched roof.

A number of items in the cabin today belonged to Theodore Roosevelt. Those that did not are from the same time period and would be typical furnishings of the day.

A prolific writer, Roosevelt spent many lamp-lit hours laboring at the desk in the living room recording his memoirs and reminiscences of badlands life. Between 1884 and 1885 he completed Hunting Trips of a Ranchman at the desk in the Maltese Cross Cabin. The hutch in the living room doubled as a library and fold-out writing table to indulge two of Roosevelt's prime passions — reading and writing. The traditional rocking chair in the living room was his favorite piece of furniture. A wicker-lined canvas clothing trunk belonging to TR sits in the bedroom.

Learn more about the Maltese Cross Cabin:

A Cowboy's Adventure
Preserving History
Visiting Theodore Roosevelt National Park