MEDORA, North Dakota – The Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library will produce its own heat and energy using geothermal sources.
The facility will emit zero carbon emissions, produce zero waste and serve as a catalyst for continued development in North Dakota’s scenic western border region.
And, as of this week, it’s halfway to completion.
“The Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library will be one of the most sustainable museums in the world upon opening,” said Ed O’Keefe, the library’s CEO.
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Donors, lawmakers and other dignitaries gathered Wednesday in Medora to celebrate the milestone of laying of the final steel beam into position, which marked the midpoint in the construction process.
“Theodore Roosevelt said, ‘Believe you can and you are halfway there.’ Folks, we are halfway there,” O’Keefe said during an on-site ceremony to more than 100 attendees.
The last steel beam is hoisted into place at the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in Medora on Aug. 14, 2024. (Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor)
The next goal for construction teams will be to beat the snow and frozen temperatures and enclose the structure by November so interior work can begin.
The library is scheduled to open to the public on July 4, 2026, to commemorate the country’s semiquincentennial.
“It’s going to be one of the 1,000 architectural wonders you need to see before you die,” O’Keefe said. “It’s really going to have a lot of significance for many different audiences.”
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North Dakota ‘on a journey to create the best presidential library in the nation’
During the event, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum said the beam placement was only the beginning of milestones for the presidential library.
“We’re on a journey to create the best presidential library in the nation,” Burgum said. “There’s 14 others, but this will be the best. This will have the biggest impact on generations to come.”
Burgum, along with first lady Kathryn Burgum and other visiting officials, signed the last steel beam before it was raised into position in what will become The Arena at the Roosevelt library, commemorating one of the 26th president’s famous speeches.
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North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum draws a heart between his and his wife’s signatures on a steel beam during a ceremony commemorating the placement of the last steel beam at the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in Medora on Aug. 14, 2024. (Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor)
The governor noted another famous quote from Roosevelt, who said he would not have been president if not for his time in North Dakota.
“All that will come here will draw inspiration from that life that Roosevelt lived, the courageous and bold life, and … they’ll learn about his time that he spent here,” Burgum said.
U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., said one his favorite parts about the library and its design is how it incorporates itself into the landscape of the Badlands and Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
“This is so Roosevelt, right?” Cramer said. “So much of construction and development replaces nature with a structure. In this case, they’ve built a structure into nature and that tells the story of Theodore Roosevelt so beautifully and with such integrity.”
Cramer, Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., and Rep. Kelly Armstrong, R-N.D., spearheaded an effort to acquire the land and federal funding for the project across three different bills in Congress. One of the bills, the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library Act, would allocate $50 million to the project through the U.S. Department of the Interior and grant access for the library to display some of Roosevelt’s personal items that are housed at various federal agencies. The legislation was introduced in April.
Cramer said he’s hopeful the bill will be added to a continuing resolution to fund the federal government and appropriated by the end of the year. If not, he joked with Hoeven during the event that they may not come home for Christmas. He also added that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is from New York, Roosevelt’s home state.
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“As long as he’s not bitter about North Dakota getting the project, he should help us preserve Theodore Roosevelt’s heritage,” Cramer said.
The library’s foundation has raised $320 million of a revised $450 million fundraising goal, O’Keefe said. Fundraisers are hopeful to add the federal $50 million to that total before the end of the year.
Joe Wiegand, a Theodore Roosevelt impersonator who stars in a one-man show in Medora, said he thinks the library will appeal to multiple generations.
“That really is the cornerstone of the Roosevelt experience,” Wiegand said. “It’s a family experience … it’s not just for guys in suits, it’s not just for historians, it’s for the families of this country and the families of the world who will come out and be inspired.”
Theodore Roosevelt impersonator Joe Wiegand, right, talks to Craig Dykers, design architect for Snohetta, during a tour of the presidential library Aug. 14, 2024. (Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor)
The North Dakota Monitor, like the Idaho Capital Sun, is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. North Dakota Monitor maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Amy Dalrymple for questions: [email protected]. Follow North Dakota Monitor on Facebook and X.
Grace M. Kegler, 94, of Grand Forks, ND passed away Monday, December 23, 2024, at Edgewood Vista in East Grand Forks, MN. Memorial Liturgy 1100 a.m. Saturday, December 28, 2024, with a 1030 a.m. Rosary Service in the Historic Norman Funeral Home Chapel. Family Greeting 1000 a.m. to 1100 a.m.
Coming out of a difficult non-conference span of games, this past week was likely a step down in competition for the Alabama Crimson Tide basketball team.
Beginning on Wednesday night, the Crimson Tide did what most programs do not often do, traveling across the country mid-week for a true road game against the North Dakota Fighting Hawks. Alabama would however win that contest in a closer game than most expected, 97-90, and then returned home Sunday for a showdown with the Kent State Golden Flashes in which they were victorious, 81-54.
Because of these results, Alabama now sits at 10-2 overall for the 2024-25 season with the Crimson Tide’s non-conference schedule winding down, and the start of SEC play looming in early-January.
However, just how much did these results affect Alabama’s AP Poll Top 25 ranking, if at all?
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After carrying a ranking of No. 6 last week, Alabama rose one spot up to No. 5 in the latest AP Poll released Monday afternoon. The Crimson Tide were also the third highest-ranked SEC team, trailing only No. 1 Tennessee and No. 2 Auburn.
Riding a four-game winning streak, the Crimson Tide will officially be back in action this upcoming Sunday, Dec. 29 at home against South Dakota State, with tipoff set for 3 p.m. ET on either SEC Network+ or ESPN+.
It has been a year of adjusting for North Dakota State Junior Guard Brennan Watkins, who has found a new home in Fargo after two seasons at VMI.
“It’s different in the stand point that I get to just focus on basketball more. At VMI there was military, a lot of academics and then basketball was kind of an after thought. Obviously there is time for academics but I have more time to be in the gym and get more shots up,” said Watkins looking back at his time out east.
As the Missouri native navigates his first season with the green and gold, Watkins also has to adjust to some new headgear after a gruesome injury in the game against Weber State earlier this season.
“I didn’t even know where I got hit. I just knew there was pain radiating around my face. My reaction was to just put my hands to my face. I kind of took my hands away and my hands were just completely filled with blood and I was like oh no that’s not good” he said.
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Watkins suffered a compound fracture breaking his nose in two places.
“When I was at the game the team doctor readjusted it partially there and they said it was too swollen to completely adjust it. I think once I go back to the doctor they are going to adjust it a second time too. There is not pain but it is difficult to breathe. I’m not really getting as much airflow through my nose as I am used to” said Watkins describing his challenges with the broken nose.
Despite the injury, Watkins hasn’t missed a game or a beat becoming the “Masked Man” for the Bison.
“It’s completely different. I can’t really see out of my peripherals. Once I start to sweat the clear mask starts to fog up so that creates another problem. It’s truly difficult. I don’t think people understand how much of a difference it makes,” he said.
“Brennan has always been a really talented basketball player. Gifted offensive player and we have challenged him on the little things, the winning plays and he is starting to understand those and execute those things and that’s the next step for him,” said NDSU Head Coach, Dave Richman.
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A warrior, Watkins is determined to stay on the floor and make those winning plays for North Dakota State.
“Just do anything for my team and help them win that is just kind of the player I am. It doesn’t matter if I have a broken nose. If I am able to play I’m going to be out there,” said Watkins.
The Bison Men’s Basketball Team has one more non-conference match up against CSU-Bakersfield on Monday night before conference play begins on January, 2nd.
Sam Goetzinger joined WDAY News as a reporter and anchor in 2022 after graduating from St. Cloud State University. Sam worked alongside his Dad in the radio industry for 10 years in his hometown of New Prague, Minnesota before heading off to college. Along with his news responsibilities, Sam also handles play-by-play duties for North Dakota and Minnesota high school athletics.
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