Roosevelt’s Maltese Cross Brand Comes Home to the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library

MEDORA — More than 140 years after Theodore Roosevelt first established his ranching roots in the Dakota Territory, a piece of his legacy has returned to the Badlands. The Nature Conservancy formally transferred one of Roosevelt s three original Maltese Cross livestock brand registrations, along with 32 other brands, to the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library on Friday afternoon, Oct. 23, during a signing ceremony at the library s Barry Auditorium. The transfer came four days before Roosevelt s 168th birthday on Oct. 27, marking a symbolic homecoming for a brand associated with his first ranch in the Dakota Territory. The Maltese Cross brand identified cattle at Roosevelt s first ranch near Medora, where his experiences helped shape the conservation values he later championed as president. Replicas of Theodore Roosevelt s historic livestock branding irons are displayed on a table during the brand registration transfer ceremony Friday, Oct. 23, 2026, at the T