Robbie Lauf, executive director of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library, speaks during a news conference outside the library in Medora on May 6, 2026. (Photo by Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor)
MEDORA, N.D. (North Dakota Monitor) – Increased law enforcement, national park staff and 1,776 drones will arrive in Medora over the next two months to ensure the opening of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library is a historic Fourth of July.
During a news conference Wednesday outside the library, Gov. Kelly Armstrong said the opening is expected to be part of one of the most important celebrations honoring the history of the United States.
“North Dakota will be playing a meaningful role in marking the 250th anniversary of America’s independence,” Armstrong said.
Robbie Lauf, executive director of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library, said the Fourth of July will celebrate the American West along with the story of Theodore Roosevelt’s life and how it was changed in the Badlands of North Dakota following the death of his wife and his mother in 1884.
“They’ll experience what we’ve been building for years, the story of a man who arrived in the Badlands a broken man and left transformed,” Lauf said. “It’s the story of how our region shaped one of the most consequential lives this country has ever had.”
Lauf said tickets for the July 4 grand opening are sold out, but tickets are available for the following weeks. Hotel rooms in Medora are also sold out, but rooms may be available in neighboring communities. Available hotel rooms in Dickinson are priced at $400 to $500 a night July 3-5, according to travel websites. Campground space is still available, Lauf said.
Members of Theodore Roosevelt’s family are planning on camping in the park over the Fourth of July, Lauf said. Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, a member of the library foundation’s board, and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum are among those expected to attend the grand opening, he added.
When asked about a visit to the library by President Donald Trump, Lauf said he’s received “positive inclinations on a potential visit from the president.”
Lauf said 1,776 drones will lift off the library grounds on opening night and illustrate the life story of Roosevelt from rancher to conservationist to how he shaped America’s second century.
“The show will be broadcast across the country as part of the nation’s 250th anniversary coverage,” he said. “You can imagine the world’s eyes will be on the Badlands.”
Construction on the exterior structure is expected to wrap up in early June with exhibits and other interior finishes expected to be completed throughout June in the lead-up to opening week, Lauf said.
The library is preparing for 2,600 ticketed visitors per day during the first weeks the library is open to the public.
The North Dakota Department of Transportation is finishing an expansion and resurfacing project on Pacific Avenue and other intersections in downtown Medora ahead of the library opening.
Former Medora Mayor Doug Ellison, owner of Western Edge Books, Artwork and Music, said the community is excited for the library with hopes that it will turn the summer tourist town into a more year-round attraction. However, he added the additional road projects in town may have been a little over the top and unnecessary.
“Medora is changing, and a lot of comments that I’m hearing from visitors are, ‘We like the old Medora,’” Ellison said.
The national park will have free admission on July 3-5 to add to the area’s festivities, said Rachel Daniels, superintendent of Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
Extra park rangers, portable toilets and other staff will be on park grounds to better care for the influx of visitors, she said.
This will be the first tourist season that the South Unit’s 36-mile loop is fully open after being under construction for more than two years. In addition, the park is going to open a new trail that weekend that connects Chimney Park with the national park, Daniels said.
Armstrong said he activated the state’s emergency operations plan to allow state agencies to better coordinate and respond to local authorities for their emerging needs over what is expected to be a busy summer in Medora and across the state.
Lt. Jenna Clawson Huibregtse, public information officer for the North Dakota Highway Patrol, said additional Highway Patrol officers will be stationed in western North Dakota before and after the grand opening to handle the anticipated increased traffic in the area.
“We’ll have troopers out on the interstate, out in rural areas, helping the sheriff’s office and helping with what parking will look like,” Clawson Huibregtse said. “We know Medora will fill up quickly and we are working on finalizing some plans on where off-site parking and shuttling can be.”
Sara Otte Coleman, director of the tourism and marketing division for the Department of Commerce, said the presidential library is expected to have a long-term impact on tourism.
“This will be a national, cultural attraction that will attract people from throughout the world to deepen their understanding of Theodore Roosevelt’s legacy, his connection to North Dakota, and help spur year-round visitation to North Dakota,” Otte Coleman said.
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