In 1903, most Yellowstone visitors arrived in Gardiner by train where they boarded stagecoaches for the journey into Wonderland. Gardiner had just built a beautiful train depot in the rustic architectural style, and both park administrators and Gardiner civic promotors felt that something special was needed to improve the dusty staging area. During the spring of 1903, a fifty-foot-high basalt arch was built to face the train depot. Today, the Roosevelt Arch has become one of the great symbols of the national park idea.

On April 24, 1903, the partially constructed arch was dedicated by President Theodore Roosevelt, who laid the cornerstone at a ceremony that drew thousands of guests, and much fanfare.

 

Though there are undoubtedly countless more, here are ten fascinating facts about the history of the iconic Roosevelt Arch:

1. The designer of the Roosevelt Arch remains a mystery. Both Robert Reamer—most famous for designing the Old Faithful Inn—and architect Nels J. Ness have been credited, but modern historians say that documentation is inadequate to know for sure.

2. To construct the Arch, hundreds of tons of native columnar basalt were hauled from a quarry in the area. The completed arch rises 50 feet high and can be seen from miles away.

 

3. Construction of the Arch took around six months, and cost about $10,000. Today that sum would equal well over $300,000.

4. Original plans called for the curved walls on either side of the Arch to surround a landscaped garden, two ponds, and a waterfall. However, this plan proved impossible due to Gardiner’s arid climate.

 

 

5. The Arch was not originally intended to honor Roosevelt, but was so named because the president happened to be vacationing in the park during its construction, and was asked to speak at the dedication ceremony.

6. A “canister,” which we now call a time capsule, was arranged by local Masons and placed inside the Arch during the dedication ceremony. It reportedly contains a Bible, a picture of Roosevelt, Masonic documents, local newspapers, U.S. coins, and other items.

7. The plaque on the Arch is inscribed with a phrase from the 1872 legislation that established Yellowstone National Park: “For the Benefit and Enjoyment of the People.”

8. The North Entrance Road Historic District, which includes the Roosevelt Arch, is a part of the Fort Yellowstone Historic Landmark District.

9. If you look closely, you can spot the Arch’s cornerstone. As you enter the Arch from the Gardiner side, the stone is low on the inside (park side) corner of the right tower. It is more squarely finished than the stones around it, and the surface facing the inside of the Arch is engraved “Apr 24, 1903.”

10. After the dedication, Theodore Roosevelt never returned to Yellowstone, so he never visited the completed Arch.

BONUS: The Roosevelt Arch happens to be located just across from Yellowstone Forever Gardiner Headquarters, formerly the W.A. Hall Store and Wylie Company Building (among others). Learn more in our blog, Restoring a Ghost in Gardiner, Montana.

As Yellowstone National Park notes on their website, it would be considered inappropriate to embellish the park’s landscape with such a conspicuous, non-functional structure. The Roosevelt Arch does still continue to serve as a historical marker for a time when cultural values called for a monumental entrance to Yellowstone.

Learn More About the Roosevelt Arch:

• Read much more about the History of the Arch>>

First two historic images:
Roosevelt Arch cornerstone ceremony with President Roosevelt and dignities at podium. NPS / YELL 28791
President Roosevelt watching stone masons set arch cornerstone. NPS / YELL 37105

 

More Images of the Roosevelt Arch

All photos without credit are YF / Matt Ludin.