This sculpture of a young Teddy Roosevelt was created in honor of the future President's time in the Dakota Territory. During his journey in what is now southwestern North Dakota and northwestern South Dakota, Roosevelt purchased a ranch near Medora, North Dakota and experienced life as a cowboy, rancher, and hunter. On his various expeditions into the Badlands, he wrote about his adventures. Additionally, Roosevelt visited Bismarck to negotiate with cattle barons and Native Americans, becoming a great advocate for conservation in the process. Even after his departure from the area in 1886, Roosevelt never forgot the beauty of the Dakota Territory's Badlands.Completing this one-third scale sculpture in 2022, I sculpted Teddy standing next to his horse with his left hand on his pistol. Drawing inspiration from a photo of the future President posing for a picture with his horse, I made subtle changes in order to convey him gazing off into the Dakota Prairie Grasslands, prepared for any challenge that might lie ahead. This landscape, with its call for self-reliance and appreciation of hard work, shaped his Presidency.
