![]() ![]() Roosevelt first came to the Dakota badlands in 1883 at age 24, drawn by a desire to hunt bison. Had I missed the full story? By emphasizing Theodore Roosevelt the conservationist, had I lost the opportunity to present a more complete portrait of the man-and the land preserved in his name? The “conservation president” What about the man?Īs monuments come under scrutiny across the country, so too do the places named for conservation’s long-enshrined heroes. But the questions arose, and they were good questions. The statue was commissioned decades after Roosevelt’s death he, of course, had nothing to do with it. Even Roosevelt’s great-grandson agreed it should be taken down. The statue, unveiled in 1940, was undoubtedly racist. The precipitating event was the decision by the American Museum of Natural History in New York to remove a bronze statue of Roosevelt, which depicted him on horseback, towering above a Native American and an African man. Then, in June of this year, Roosevelt found himself suddenly under scrutiny. So several years ago, when I visited North Dakota’s Theodore Roosevelt National Park to research a story for National Geographic Traveler, I couldn’t help but fall under his spell, just as I was enamored by the landscape he cherished. It’s easy to become enthralled with the 26th president of the United States, particularly if you love the outdoors he helped preserve. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |