Theodore Roosevelt Island

On a sunny October day, I decided to head over to the memorial of my favorite President, Theodore Roosevelt Island. There’s a large park that surrounds my small hometown, so I thought I knew what to expect. Upon reaching the bridge, however, I realized that this was much more than a small nature reserve.

Immediately after stepping foot on the island, I was surrounded by forest and wildlife. It was absolutely beautiful. I started down one of the many paths, observing each of the markers along the way. I really enjoyed how they took the time to tell the story of the many historical elements of the park. There were also many trees carved with the initials of people who had taken the paths before, many dating back 30 or 40 years.

I cut through some trees and arrived at the gargantuan monument. I did not expect such a large entity due to the relatively small size of the island. There were fountains along the border, large stone plaques celebrating quotes by Roosevelt, and a giant statue of the man himself. I took several minutes to just admiral the design of the courtyard that I was standing in.

After exploring the island and seeing the various mini-ecosystems contained within one monument, I feel that the architects of the monument pinned Roosevelt’s character perfectly. As an advocate for nature preservation, Teddy would have been proud to see the embodiment of his work right next to the bustle of our nation’s capital.

--Stevan Jechura