A controversial statue of former President Theodore Roosevelt – which stood outside the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, and was shipped to the T- R Library Foundation – will not be displayed immediately, when the Library opens in Medora.
The statue – called the “Equestrian Statue of Theodore Roosevelt” – depicts Roosevelt on a horse, flanked by two other men – one is Native American, the other is of African descent.
“We have no plans to publicly display it, either as a part of the library’s interpretive experience or anywhere, in the next few years,” said Ed O’Keefe, C-E-O of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library.
O’Keefe says the statue hasn’t been “properly contextualized.” He said that may be a future opportunity. He said that may be a future opportunity.
“There may be an opportunity to confront that ‘history is hard,’ and what are the lessons you can derive from it,” O’Keefe said. “It may present an opportunity to have one of those hard conversations about history and our future together.”
Officials plan to open the Library on July Fourth, 2026.
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(KNOX / ND PPR)