"It is a pleasure now to say a few words to you at the laying of the corner stone of the beautiful arch which is to mark the entrance to this park. Yellowstone Park is something absolutely unique in the world so far as I know. Nowhere else in any civilized country is there to be found such a tract of veritable wonderland made accessible to all visitors." With those few words, President Theodore Roosevelt dedicated the arch that now bears his name, at the north entrance to Yellowstone National Park, Gardiner, Montana, on April 24, 1903.

Many people don't know that Teddy Roosevelt was an avid outdoorsman and conservationist, and also one of the leading forces in promoting the United States National Park Service. He was a particular fan of Yellowstone, and did a great deal to promote the enhancement, protection and use of the park.

At one time, access to Yellowstone was primarily through this entrance; visitors would arrive by train and take stagecoaches through the arch to the park. Over time other entrances were opened, and as automobiles became the preferred mode of access to the park, the trains went by the wayside. But the arch remains as a popular tourist attraction (and you still drive through it to access the park from the north!)