The glasses case that saved Teddy Roosevelt’s life goes on display in North Dakota
Popular Science...
Among American presidents, President Theodore Roosevelt stands out for his devotion to conservation. An avid outdoorsman, he used his authority as president to protect wildlife and nature by creating the United States Forest Service (USFS), establishing 150 national forests, 51 federal bird reserves, 4 national game preserves, 5 national parks, and 18 national monuments.
Now, 107 years after his death, the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library is set to open on July 4, 2026, in Medora, North Dakota. The National Park Service will loan several artifacts to the museum, whose opening coincides with the nation’s 250th anniversary celebration this week.
According to the NPS, these loaned materials will help connect visitors to Teddy Roosevelt’s journey from his childhood in the bustling streets of New York City, to the wilds of North Dakota’s Badlands, through to his presidency and conservation. The loan inventory contains more than 50 significant artifacts.
‘March’ of the Rough Rider
During the Spanish-American War in 1898, Roosevelt served with the 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry, aka the Rough Riders. The Rough Riders participated in two major battles in Cuba—the Battle of Las Guasimas on June 24 and the Battle of San Juan heights on July 1.
During the Battle of Las Guasimas, Roosevelt narrowly avoided bullets buzzing by him multiple times. He called the later Battle of San Juan Heights, “the great day of my life.” Roosevelt led a series of charges up Kettle Hill towards San Juan Heights on his horse, Texas. He rode up and down the hill encouraging the Rough Riders with the orders to “March!”
His Rough Rider uniform can be seen at the new library and is on loan from Sagamore Hill National Historic Site in Oyster Bay, New York.
A bullet-stopping speech and eyeglasses case
On October 14, 1912, while running for a third term as president with the Bull Moose Party, an assassin named John Flammang Schrank shot at Roosevelt during a campaign speech in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. His steel eyeglass case and a folded 50-page campaign speech helped save his life. While the bullet ultimately lodged in Roosevelt’s chest, the eyeglasses case and speech papers slowed down the bullet and it stopped just short of hitting any vital organs.
When an angry mob of Roosevelt supporters formed around Schrank, Roosevelt was able to calm the crowd until the police arrived. Roosevelt refused medical attention and went on to give his speech—all while bleeding. He told the crowd, “It takes more than [a bullet] to kill a Bull Moose.”
The eyeglass case and campaign speech are on loan from Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site in New York City.
A compass as a guide
What’s a good naturalist without a compass? His compass is on loan from Theodore Roosevelt National Park in Medora, North Dakota.
“For Roosevelt, a compass was more than an instrument of navigation,” the National Park Service writes. “It represented his engagement with the natural world and his willingness to confront it directly, whether on the Dakota plains, in remote hunting grounds, or later on scientific expeditions abroad.”
How to visit
The Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library opens on July 4 and will sit at the entrance to Theodore Roosevelt National Park. It is the only one of the 63 flagship National Parks named after a person.
Both sites will host a series of special interpretive programs, ranger-led talks, family activities, and Junior Ranger opportunities all summer. Ranger programs will explore Roosevelt’s conservation legacy, while Junior Ranger activities will encourage younger visitors to explore the former president’s values of stewardship, service, and exploration.
“We are honored to partner with the National Park Service to help tell Theodore Roosevelt’s story through authentic artifacts and shared educational experiences,” Edward O’Keefe, chief executive officer of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library, said in a statement. “This collaboration brings together the places that shaped Roosevelt’s life and legacy while inspiring visitors to embrace leadership, conservation and civic engagement in their own communities.”
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