Circle of Benches near the Historic Cabin

Theodore Roosevelt

NPS Photo

Quick Facts

Location:

Custer, SD

Significance:

A part of Jewel Cave National Monument

Designation:

National Monument

Amenities

3 listed

Audio Description, Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Information

The Early Life of Theodore Roosevelt

Theodore Roosevelt (TR) took a liking to the idea of Jewel Cave as a National Monument due to his time in the Dakota Territory throughout the 1880s. Originally from New York City, TR grew up surrounded by wealth, with his father, Theodore Roosevelt Sr., a renowned businessman and philanthropist. At six years of age, TR is even pictured on April 25, 1865, overlooking former U.S. President Abraham Lincoln’s 13-stop funeral procession from the second story of his family’s wealthy New York City home.

However, even with an aristocratic upbringing and Harvard University education, TR faced numerous physical and psychological body blows throughout his life. As a young boy, struggling to overcome chronic illness, TR learns that the best way for him to overcome struggles in his life is to challenge himself physically. Therefore, with the encouragement of his father, young TR takes up boxing.

Theodore Roosevelt's Tragedy 

While at Harvard University, TR meets his first wife, Alice Hathaway Roosevelt. After accepting TR’s proposal for marriage, TR and Alice Hathaway marry on October 27, 1880. Four years after their marriage, on February 12, 1884, Alice Hathaway Roosevelt gave birth to her only child, Alice Lee Roosevelt. Unfortunately, two days following the birth of Alice Lee, TR’s mother, Martha Bulloch Roosevelt, passes away of typhoid fever at the age of 48. Only a few hours later, Alice Hathaway also perishes, of kidney failure. While grappling with the death of his mother, Martha Bulloch Roosevelt, as well as his wife, Alice Hathaway Roosevelt, on Valentine’s Day, TR was sent into tremendous grief. 

To The West 

Due to the family catastrophe, on February 14, 1884, TR reflects and takes a page out of his playbook to overcome his past childhood chronic health issues. In doing so, TR escapes New York City, leaving behind newborn Alice Lee Roosevelt with his sister Bamie Roosevelt. TR also leaves the New York General Assembly. As TR looks for a new environment he heads westward, to modern-day North Dakota, the site of Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

While in North Dakota, TR lived as a rancher and worked as a sheriff until 1886, in the process, challenging himself physically, just like he did when he took up boxing. For TR, the Dakotas offered a proving ground to transform himself into a new person, eventually evolving into the rugged frontiersman who exemplifies the idea of the strenuous life.

President Theodore Roosevelt

Fast-forwarding to when TR is the 26th President of the United States, in the year 1908, TR supported the idea of Jewel Cave—not to just preserve more land, but the western land that helped make him the person history knows today. Looking for a way to preserve Jewel Cave without Congress, TR turns to the Antiquities Act of 1906. Utilizing this as his launching point, TR cleverly makes Jewel Cave a National Monument in 1908.

• President Theodore Roosevelt’s Connection to the Dakota Territory

  
  

  Theodore Roosevelt, nicknamed TR, took a liking to the idea of Jewel Cave as a National Monument due to his time in the Dakota Territory throughout the 1880s.

  Date created:

  09/16/2025

  Audio Transcript

  Theodore Roosevelt, nicknamed TR, took a liking to the idea of Jewel Cave as a National Monument due to his time in the Dakota Territory throughout the 1880s.

  
  Originally from New York City, TR grew up surrounded by wealth, with his father, Theodore Roosevelt Sr., a renowned businessman and philanthropist. At six years of age, TR is even pictured on April 25, 1865, overlooking former U.S. President Abraham Lincoln’s 13-stop funeral procession from the second story of his family’s wealthy New York City home.

  However, even with an aristocratic upbringing and Harvard University education, TR faced numerous physical and psychological body blows throughout his life. As a young boy, struggling to overcome chronic illness, TR learns that the best way for him to overcome struggles in his life is to challenge himself physically. Therefore, with the encouragement of his father, young TR takes up boxing, eventually becoming a Harvard University boxer.

  While at Harvard University, TR meets his first wife, Alice Hathaway Roosevelt. After accepting TR’s proposal for marriage, TR and Alice Hathaway marry on October 27, 1880. Interestingly, October 27 is also TR’s birthday. Four years after their marriage, on February 12, 1884, Alice Hathaway Roosevelt gave birth to her only child, Alice Lee Roosevelt.

  Unfortunately, two days following the birth of Alice Lee, TR’s mother, Martha Bulloch Roosevelt, passes away of typhoid fever at the age of 48. Only a few hours later, Alice Hathaway also perishes, of kidney failure. Alice Hathaway’s undiagnosed condition, known as Bright’s Disease, came as a sudden shock to the Roosevelt family, as Hathaway’s illness was masked by her pregnancy.

  While grappling with the death of his mother, Martha Bulloch Roosevelt, as well as his wife, Alice Hathaway Roosevelt, on Valentine’s Day, TR was sent into tremendous grief. He even wrote in his journal a bold and capitalized letter X, followed by the statement, “The light has gone out of my life.”

  Due to the family catastrophe, on February 14, 1884, TR reflects and takes a page out of his playbook to overcome his past childhood chronic health issues. In doing so, TR escapes New York City, leaving behind newborn Alice Lee Roosevelt with his sister Bamie Roosevelt. TR also leaves the New York General Assembly. As TR looks for a new environment he heads westward, to modern-day North Dakota, the site of Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

  While in North Dakota, TR lived as a rancher and worked as a sheriff until 1886, in the process, challenging himself physically, just like he did when he took up boxing. For TR, the Dakotas offered a proving ground to transform himself into a new person, eventually evolving into the rugged frontiersman who exemplifies the idea of the strenuous life.

  Fast-forwarding to when TR is the 26th President of the United States, in the year 1908, TR supported the idea of Jewel Cave—not to just preserve more land, but the western land that helped make him the person history knows today. However, the problem TR faces is that Congress makes National Parks, not Presidents.

  Looking for a way to preserve Jewel Cave without Congress, TR turns to the Antiquities Act of 1906. In this piece of legislation, any U.S. President can establish a new National Monument on federal lands that contains historic and prehistoric structures, historic landmarks, or other historic objects or scientific interest . Utilizing this as his launching point, TR cleverly makes Jewel Cave a National Monument in 1908.

  TR’s evolution from his time in the West can best be characterized by a passage from his April 23, 1910 “Citizenship in a Republic” speech. Here, utilizing lessons learned in the West of self-reliance and grit, TR discussed what it is like to be “The Man in the Arena,” claiming, ”It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out where the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done better . The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; and who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who never know victory nor defeat.”