The cradle of conservation: Theodore Roosevelt’s Elkhorn Ranch, an icon of American’s national identity
Subject(s): Boone and Crockett Club, Cattle brands, Conservation of natural resources, Dow, Wilmot S. (Wilmot Sewall), 1854-1891, Grinnell, George Bird, 1849-1938, Kennedy, John F. (John Fitzgerald), 1917-1963, Leopold, Aldo, 1886-1948, Morris, Edmund, Muir, John, 1838-1914, North Dakota--Badlands, North Dakota--Elkhorn Ranch, North Dakota--Theodore Roosevelt National Park, Remington, Frederic, 1861-1909, Roosevelt, Theodore, 1858-1919, Sewall, William Wingate, 1845-1930, Turner, Frederick Jackson, 1861-1932, United States--Little Missouri River
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Lowell E. Baier describes the importance of Theodore Roosevelt’s Elkhorn Ranch to the formation of Roosevelt’s environmental awareness, and subsequently to the emergence of the nation’s conservation movement in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Baier provides a brief history of the conservation movement in the United States before Roosevelt’s emergence as its leader, and he argues that the conservation effort stemmed in part from the nation’s desire to preserve parts of its frontier past. Baier quotes Roosevelt biographer Edmund Morris in emphasizing the importance of the Elkhorn to Roosevelt’s environmental beliefs, and he highlights efforts to secure the protection of lands directly across the Little Missouri River from the Elkhorn ranch house.
A photograph of Roosevelt with two of his ranch hands and three historic photographs of the Elkhorn Ranch buildings populate the essay along with two contemporary color photographs of the site. The essay also features illustrations of Roosevelt’s cattle brands, sketches of the Elkhorn ranch buildings by Frederic Remington, and a large map showing the various units of Theodore Roosevelt National Park and surrounding lands.
Collection
Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal
Creation Date
2007
Creator(s)
Language
English
Period
Theodore Roosevelt and Public Memory (1919-present)
Page Count
13
Production Method
Record Type
Image
Resource Type
Rights
No permission is required from the Theodore Roosevelt Association to use items in the Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal collection for educational purposes. For permissions, contact William Tilchin at (516) 921-6319 or by email at wnt@bu.ed
Citation
Cite this Record
Chicago:
The cradle of conservation: Theodore Roosevelt’s Elkhorn Ranch, an icon of American’s national identity. [January 15, 2026]. Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o308214. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Baier, Lowell E.. The cradle of conservation: Theodore Roosevelt’s Elkhorn Ranch, an icon of American’s national identity. [15 Jan. 2026]. Image.
Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. January 15, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o308214.
APA:
Baier, Lowell E.., [2026, January 15]. The cradle of conservation: Theodore Roosevelt’s Elkhorn Ranch, an icon of American’s national identity.
Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o308214.
Cite this Collection
Chicago:
Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/theodore-roosevelt-association-journal. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. January 15, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/theodore-roosevelt-association-journal.
APA:
Theodore Roosevelt Association Journal. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/theodore-roosevelt-association-journal.
