Mount Theodore Roosevelt

The year 2019 commemorated the 100th anniversary of Theodore Roosevelt’s and Seth Bullock’s deaths and the dedication of Mount Theodore Roosevelt – the first monument dedicated in memory of Roosevelt. 

On January 6, 1919, Theodore Roosevelt died at his home in Sagamore Hill, New York. As word of Roosevelt’s passing disseminated across the nation, Roosevelt’s death came as a severe blow to Bullock. As the nation bereaved the loss of a great leader, a grief stricken Bullock began a campaign to venerate the memory of his longtime friend. During the annual meeting of the Society of Black Hills Pioneers, Bullock proposed to rename Sheep Mountain, located three miles west of the Deadwood city limits, to Mount Theodore Roosevelt. In addition, he wanted the Black Hills Pioneers to develop a suitable memorial on the mountain in honor of Roosevelt. In April of 1919, plans for the construction of a tower using native Black Hills stone were approved by the Society of Black Hills Pioneers. The public dedication was scheduled for July 4, 1919.

Despite an overcast day with intermittent rain, automobiles and countless people converged on Mount Theodore Roosevelt in the afternoon for the dedication ceremony. Though the Roosevelt family did not attend the dedication, Kermit Roosevelt sent a heartfelt letter dated July 4, 1919 thanking Bullock for contributing to the memory of his late father. Two months after the dedication, Captain Seth Bullock died in his home in Deadwood, South Dakota on September 23, 1919.

 Today, Roosevelt Tower is a silent reminder of the friendship between two prominent men who helped shaped this nation and western South Dakota.