Theodore Roosevelt’s Elkhorn Ranch in western North Dakota has been named to this year’s list of “America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places.”
The National Trust for Historic Preservation released the annual list today. The list highlights areas of architectural, cultural and national significance in danger of destruction or irreparable damage.
The heart of the ranch is part of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, and it’s here Roosevelt first witnessed the degredation of America’s wilderness and wildlife and recognized the importance of conserving such resources, the Trust for Historic Preservation said in a news release.
In naming the Elkhorn Ranch to the list, the trust cited a proposed road and bridge it says would visually impair the landscape and “introduce industrial traffic, noise and dust, through the very place that inspired Roosevelt’s views on conservation.
“The Elkhorn Ranch is not only a picturesque historic site, but as a home to Theodore Roosevelt, a true ‘cradle of conservation’ in the United States,” Stephanie Meeks, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, said in a statement. “”Building a road this close to the Elkhorn Ranch would permanently destroy the nationally significant historic place. Roosevelt had an enormous influence on America’s public lands system and promoted nationwide conservation of natural and cultural sites. His legacy should continue today through protection of this place.”
For more information about the trust and protecting historic places, click here: