Sept. 12, 2013

Where did the last couple of days go?  We had done everything there was to do in Fort Peck, so we just enjoyed the campground and the hiking trails they have, until we could move from here to Havre.  We did that today, and arrived around 12:30.  It wasn't a long trip, as we are trying to pace ourselves and have this one stop before we check into the campground at St. Mary's MT, at the east end of Glacier National Park.  With nothing exciting to write about, I'll take us back to ND for a little history lesson.  I didn't take the time to write about Teddy Roosevelt and the impact he had on North Dakota, and what that part of the country did to prepare him for his presidency.  He was a big part of the area we left in Medora.  He was living in New York, when he was 24 years old, and he lost his wife to a severe kidney ailment, a few days after she gave birth to their daughter, Alice, and he also lost his mother the same day his wife died.  His mother died of typhoid fever.  He was very depressed, and wanted to be alone, so he left his daughter with his sister to care for, and headed for North Dakota.  He came out west to hunt wild game, but soon found out that the bison were gone due to the hide hunters and disease.  He turned to cattle ranching and  poured his days into a very strenuous lifestyle.  It was in ND that he became a conservationist. He saw that there was over-grazing and it destroyed the grasslands and with that, the habitats were also suffering. Once he became President in 1901, he was very aggressive in establishing many wildlife refuges and 5 national parks.  He is quoted as saying, "I never would have been President if it had not been for the experiences in North Dakota." 

 

                                                      Young Teddy Roosevelt

 

                                                  Replica of  Roosevelt's first cabin in ND
 

Entrance to the national park