Over the Memorial Weekend Break, Roger and I traveled West towards Medora, North Dakota for an overnight stay. Medora is a small tourist town celebrating Theodore Roosevelt and other explorers and settlers to the western part of North Dakota. The town of Medora was founded in April 1883 by a 24 year old French nobleman, the Marquis de Mores. He named the town for his bride, the former Medora von Hoffman, daughter of a wealthy New York City banker. The town fell into disrepair after a few decades then in 1962 and entrepreneur, Harold Schafer and his Gold Seal Company began a restoration and modernization of the old western town, developing many additonal attractions.
Medora Musical
While there we were entertained at the Medora Musical. This is a professionally produced musical that is dedicated to the legacy of our 26th President, Theodore Roosevelt. It is held at the Burning Hills Amphitheatre. The setting reminds me a lot of the Tuacahn stage in Ivins, Utah. The performance was informational about the history of North Dakota, and also very entertaining.
Theodore Roosevelt National Park
The following day we traveled through the Theodore Roosevelt National Park. The park covers 110 Square miles. There is a 36 Mile scenic loop through the park. They call this area also "The Badlands". It reminds me a lot of Southern Utah. This area is what inspired Pres. Roosevelt to pass the 1906 Antiquities Act to preserve National Monuments throughout the United States. By the end of his presidency he had preserved 230,000,000 acres of public land.
We saw wild horses, Prairie dogs galore, and bison. We went on a hike to check out coal deposits that had caught on fire and burned for years through out the park. Most likely lightening struck a coal vein and once it started burning it did not stop until there was no longer a natural connection for the coal to continue burning. This burning caused the oxides in the surrounding dirt to turn red.
Burned Coal Veins
There are a lot of nice hotels amd motels to stay in while visiting Medora. There is also a few campgrounds for those who love camping. The small town of Medora has historical buildings, museums, shops, and we even witnessed a gun fight. I would recommend a trip to Medora, North Dakota.
On the drive back to Fort Yates, we viewed a huge brick church from the freeway. Due to the explorers that we have become, we exited the freeway in Richardton, ND. Here we found this large Catholic Church. I love architecture and this building was magnificent.
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