Theodore Roosevelt National Park was established to memorialize this area's importance in Theodore Roosevelt's life. While visiting the badlands for the first time in 1883, Roosevelt fell in love with the rugged landscape and became interested in the new business of cattle ranching. After talking with local ranchers, he decided to invest in a local cattle operation known as the Maltese Cross. His partners in the ranch were Sylvane Ferris and Bill Merrifield.

The next year, following the death of his wife and mother in February, Roosevelt started a second ranching operation called the Elkhorn Ranch. He hired two acquaintances from Maine, Bill Sewall and Wilmot Dow, to run the ranch. After its creation, Roosevelt considered Elkhorn to be his "home ranch" and spent most of his time there whenever he was in Dakota.

While Roosevelt was starting his ranching operations in the Dakota Territory, a French nobleman known as the Marquis de Morès was establishing the town of Medora, which he named after his wife. His dream of a meatpacking empire proved ill-fated, but the town he founded survived.

Another reminder of the past is the handiwork of the Civilian Conservation Corps. Several CCC camps were located in the badlands. Structures and other rock work completed by the CCC can be observed in both the North and South Units of Theodore Roosevelt National Park.