Five Books to Read Before Visiting Theodore Roosevelt National Park
Are you looking for some books to read before you visit Theodore Roosevelt National Park? Check out these five books before you go!
By Roger L. Di Silvestro
Theodore Roosevelt in the Badlands chronicles the time a young Theodore Roosevelt spent in the Badlands, including his time at Elkhorn Ranch and in what would become Theodore Roosevelt National Park. This book gives you a glimpse into a world where the wild world of the American West was being tamed, but a place where a young "dude" from New York City could still gain an appreciation of the disappearing world and come into his own as a man.
By Dan Flores
By the time Theodore Roosevelt came west to the Badlands, much of the wildlife that had once roamed there was gone. His experiences with the disappearing animal life led him to work to conserve what remained of this wildlife and these wildlands. American Serengeti discusses what the American plains once looked like in terms of large animals, including mentions of present-day Theodore Roosevelt National Park and its role in preserving this wildlife.
By Theodore Roosevelt
Although others have detailed Theodore Roosevelt's time spent in the Badlands, you can also read about this time of his life from his own writings. Ranch Life and the Hunting Trail details Roosevelt's life on Elkhorn Ranch, from the routines of his daily life to the adventures that he would become well-known for when he returned east.
By Timothy Egan
Although the main subject of The Big Burn is a major fire that destroyed huge swaths of national forest in 1910, the fire is used to tell the story of how Theodore Roosevelt and his chief forester, Gifford Pinchot, worked to create protected lands and the modern concept of conservation.
Shameless self-promotion! Pick up 101 Travel Bits: Theodore Roosevelt National Park to learn more about the park itself, from its history to its wildlife to the activities that make a visit memorable.
