“Leave it as it is. You cannot improve on it. The ages have been at work on it, and man can only mar it. What you can do is to keep it for your children, your children’s children, and for all who come after you, as one of the great sights which every American if he can travel at all should see.”
~ Theodore Roosevelt

Today when we are talking about “native” we aren’t talking about the ongoing argument of if horses are native.  There is enough information on both sides for a fueled debate. 

Today when we talk about native, we are talking about President Theodore Roosevelt. 

There is no doubt that Theodore Roosevelt was a great man.  I will spare the history lesson but wanted to just share some Wednesday ramblings with you today…

If you are interested in reading some great quotes from Theodore Roosevelt, the Park has some great quotes on their website: https://www.nps.gov/thro/learn/historyculture/theodore-roosevelt-quotes.htm

Theodore Roosevelt National Park was established to memorialize Theodore Roosevelt and his time in North Dakota.  That time without a doubt included his ranching legacy.  Something the Park has stated they are no longer interested in.  They instead want to focus on his conservation legacy.  Intelligent minds know that there would not be one without the other. 

While we were on The Jay Thomas Show a few weeks ago, they brought up a great point. 

Theodore Roosevelt is NOT “native” to North Dakota.  Yet, the state of North Dakota certainly works hard to memorialize his time here.  In addition to Theodore Roosevelt National Park, the state is now highly invested in the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library, set to open in 2026. You will also find Theodore Roosevelt throughout the state and especially in the town of Medora. 

Why?

Why does the state choose to memorialize a man who we know was born and also died in the state of New York, here in North Dakota?

Theodore Roosevelt himself told us:

“I have always said I would not have been President had it not been for my experience in North Dakota.”

And my personal favorite:

““It was here that the romance of my life began.”

Between those two quotes lie countless others that tell the story of the “grim beauty” of the Badlands, the songs of the meadow lark, the vision of wild horses running as wild as the antelope, and stories about rattlesnakes and prairie dogs. 

There is no doubt that TR fell in love with this land.  There is no doubt he was moved by his experience here.  There is no doubt that his time in North Dakota changed his life.

How many of us can say the same?

We have all fallen in love with the Park.  Those of us that either relocated here or return regularly have also been moved by this magical place.  The badlands of North Dakota have without question changed the lives of many.

Not everyone who visits the state goes on to hold the highest office in our country.  Theodore Roosevelt did. 

When he went to Washington DC, he brought the knowledge from his experiences in North Dakota with him.  Those experiences were behind new legislation that would become part of his presidential legacy where he became known as our “Conservation President”.

History has shown that what happens in North Dakota impacts the rest of the world.  That was absolutely the case with President Theodore Roosevelt.

We believe it is also the case for the wild horses that call the Park home. 

The advocacy work that Chasing Horses Wild Horse Advocates (CHWHA) has been doing for these horses is setting a precedent in many ways.

The questions for all of you today are:

1. How do we continue our “out of the box” advocacy for these horses? What else can be done? What else should we be doing that we are not?
2. How do we replicate what we have done here to help wild horses everywhere?

If you have answers, please email us at info@chwha.org.  You can also send us a DM through our social media channels. 

We have some thoughts and ideas of our own that we will share soon! We always say, a nonprofit belongs to the community it serves.  To us, that means that decisions that are made go beyond our board members.  We want to hear from you!

We look forward to your responses!

Thank you for your continued support and have a GREAT day!

---