Towering Friendships

In the 1900’s, Seth Bullock was part of a once-in-a-lifetime friendship.

This fact was hard to miss, especially after 1919 when Bullock built a 32-foot stone monument to his friend.

The relationship that so deeply moved Bullock–a former U.S. Marshall memorialized in the the HBO documentary, Deadwood–was with none other than President Teddy Roosevelt.

The two men, as it turned out, were born with like minds. Over the course of their lives, they worked together to shape ideas about preserving nature, believing that public land should belong to everyone. It was out of this shared passion, in fact, that Roosevelt used his presidency to establish America’s national forests.

In pursuing their vision together, Bullock and Roosevelt were said to have developed an unmistakeable regard for each other.

The kind of crazy rare regard that prompts one person to build some sort of lasting symbol to commemorate his friendship with the other.

That spirit of preserving cherished friendship seems to have caught on.

Almost a century later, the Black Hills Forest National Park, still makes it a priority to ensure the men’s tribute to friendship continues to inspire future generations.

In 2006, the Park began re-enforcing the tower’s base and building the intended staircase to ensure the monument remains accessible to the public. “We’re preserving this monument for our kids and grandkids.” Marissa Karchut, an archaeologist working on the project, said.

In fact, locals so love the story of friendship that they staged a commemorative ceremony in which actors played Bullock and Roosevelt on the 90th anniversary of the tower’s construction. (If you want to, you can even watch it here.)

The towers, the public’s ongoing testament to friendship, and the National Forests remind us of an important truth (which I’m intentionally revisiting on the birthday of one of my dear friends). When like-souled people connect around shared causes, the inspiration of both their projects and their friendship itself have a way of leaving a significant mark on their world.

I’m committed to the kinds of friendships and visions you need towers to commemorate. What about you?