Theadore Roosevelt National Park-Aug 09

We arrived in Medora, ND on the 27th of July, having traveled 2,069 miles. It lies at the entrance of the Theodore Roosevelt National Park. The story of Medora itself is quite interesting. The town was founded by the Marquis de Mores, a French aristocrat, who in 1883 planned to slaughter range cattle and then ship dressed meat east in refrigerated rail cars. He invested heavily in land, slaughter house, ice house and family home, which can be visited today. Unfortunately, his meatpacking scheme collapsed in 1886 and all the buildings associated with it no longer exist. Medora got its name from his wife, Medora von Hoffman, who came from a wealthy Staten Island, NY family and whose mother, also from Staten Island, was a Grymes: Wagner College is situated on Grymes Hill today. The Marquis continued his adventurous lifestyle after he returned to France, being killed by native tribesmen on the Sahara Desert. Medora never remarried and died in France.

Below is a view of our camp site in Medora and a picture of Millie next to the Little Missouri River which runs along the park, campground and through the town of Medora.












Every summer, the town puts on a western musical about the area called Medora Musical. It's held in an open amphitheater just across from our campground.



We spent several days exploring both the North and South parts of the park. They are about 60 miles apart. Roosevelt first came to the badlands in 1883 and was a neighbor of the de Mores. The inhospitable and barren appearance of the land is deceptive and imparts a dramatic beauty; still, I would not want to be here in the Winter, when the population is well below what it is in the summer. The park is home to a variety of animals and plants. We did a lot of hiking and even got to go horse back riding. We got to see prairie dogs, wild horses, elk, bison and lots of wild flowers, even prickly pear cactus.

















Our week here went by quickly; we thoroughly enjoyed hiking, driving the scenic roads through the park and the history of Medora.