Mount Roosevelt Friendship Tower

The Mount Theodore Roosevelt Monument, also known as the Roosevelt Friendship Monument or Friendship Tower, is a 31-foot-tall stone tower in the Black Hills National Forest near Deadwood, Lawrence County, South Dakota. The monument is a tribute to Theodore Roosevelt, a deputy sheriff in Medora, North Dakota, in 1884. He became lifelong friends with Seth Bullock, who was the Sheriff of Deadwood at the time, and when Roosevelt passed away, Bullock wanted to erect a monument in his honor. The Society of the Black Hills Pioneers helped build the tower, which was dedicated on July 4, 1919. It donated the tower to the United States Forest Service in 1966. In 2010, a restoration project included foundation stabilization and stone repair. Stairs were added to the monument leading up to the platform, and handrails were installed on the stairs and the platform. The Deadwood Historic Preservation Commission, the Black Hills Parks and Forest Association, and the Black Hills National Forest helped restore the monument.