The Roosevelt Arch is the north entrance to Yellowstone National Park in Gardiner, Montana. The arch's cornerstone was laid down by President of the United States Theodore Roosevelt in 1903. The top of the arch is inscribed with a quote from the Organic Act of 1872, the legislation which created Yellowstone, which reads "For the Benefit and Enjoyment of the People."
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Before 1903, trains brought visitors to Cinnabar, Montana, which was a few miles northwest of Gardiner, Montana, where people would transfer onto horse-drawn coaches to enter the park. In 1903, the railway finally came to Gardiner, and people entered through the stone archway.
The design of the Roosevelt Arch has been attributed to architect Robert Reamer, but documentation is inconclusive. Construction of the arch began on February 19, 1903, and was completed on August 15, 1903, at a cost of about $10,000. The archway was built at the north entrance, which was the first major entrance for Yellowstone. President Roosevelt was visiting Yellowstone during construction and was asked to place the cornerstone for the arch, which then took his name. The cornerstone Roosevelt laid covered a time capsule that contains a Bible, a picture of Roosevelt, local newspapers, and other items.[1]
The idea of the arch is attributed to Hiram Martin Chittenden. Several thousand people came to Gardiner for the dedication, including John F. Yancey, who caught a chill and died in Gardiner as a result.
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