I'm reading Douglas Brinkley's "Wilderness Warrior, Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade for America" which chronicles TR's impact on the west through the creation of National Parks (6), National Forests (150), National Monuments (18), bird preserves (51), and game preserves (4). He created lots of great places we can visit in our Vanagons! If you want to refine your appreciation of travelling through the west it's well worth reading all 940 pages.
The National Parks he created include Crater Lake in OR, Wind Cave in SD, Sully's Hill in ND, Platt NP in OK, Mesa Verde in AZ, and Dry Tortugas, 70 miles off of Key West, FL. I've only made it to two of these, so I've got to add a few more to my bucket list.
Theodore Roosevelt NP in ND was created as a memorial to him in 1947. I've been there twice, and it's a fascinating glimpse of the old west, complete with buffalo and prairie dogs. Another good read (and shorter) is David McCullough's "Mornings on Horseback" which is a biography of TR's pre-presidential years, including when he ranched in this area.
He was known as America's conservationist president, and with good reason. We are all beneficiaries of his work.
Stuart '85 Westy |
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