A planned bridge over the Little Missouri River near the historic Elkhorn Ranch in Billings County, North Dakota will not be built, capping years of dispute over the proposed crossing.
In April 2025, after a multi-year legal battle, the Billings County Commission agreed to a settlement with the Short family, whose land had been acquired by the County through eminent domain as part of planning for the proposed bridge.
Preservationists, conservation groups, and others have been fighting proposals to build a river crossing near the Elkhorn Ranch for over two decades, arguing that a bridge and resulting heavy truck traffic would disturb the pristine setting of the historic ranch.
Theodore Roosevelt established the Elkhorn Ranch soon after the death of his wife and mother in 1884. Roosevelt’s time at the ranch inspired many of the conservation ideas that led to federal actions to protect wilderness and historic landscapes across the country. The Elkhorn Ranch is a unit of the Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
