August 24-25, Medora, ND

Thursday morning, we left early and drove across Southeastern Montana to Medora, ND.  This is our first time in North Dakota, and we are excited to finally see this area.  We are staying at Red Trail Campground on the edge of town.  We originally were only able to book a water and electric site but were fortunate that a full hook-up site became available.  After getting set up we drove to the Theodore Roosevelt National Park Visitor Center to get info on the park.  We also walked around Medora.  This is a small town on the Little Missouri River and is very much a tourist town with lots of restaurants and shops.  Of course, we found an ice cream and fudge shop and had a dish of ice cream and bought some fudge to take back to the motorhome.

The RV Park is only ½ mile from town so Friday morning we took Tacky for a walk into town.  On the far side of town, we walked around Chimney Park, the ruins of a slaughterhouse.  In 1883 the Marquis de Mores created a town along the newly constructed transcontinental railway and named it after his wife, Medora. He also built a slaughterhouse, bought cattle and land, and built a 26-room hunting cabin dubbed “the chateau” by neighbors.  The slaughterhouse could process 150 beef carcasses per day and the meat was shipped in refrigerated railcars.  For various reasons the slaughterhouse was forced to close in 1886 and it burned in 1907 leaving only the tall chimney standing and some of the foundation.

Walking back through town we found De Mores Memorial Park which has a 1926 statue of the Marquis.

 

This morning was much cooler so after our walk Rex washed our very dirty motorhome.

Friday afternoon we walked back to town and took in The Teddy Roosevelt Show where Joe Wiegand portrays Teddy Roosevelt.  We have seen Joe perform in Arizona and his portrayal of Roosevelt is extraordinary.  His knowledge of Roosevelt’s life is amazing.  Even though we have seen his show a couple of times in Arizona, every show is different.  This one was about his life in Medora.  He first came here in 1883 to hunt buffalo and liked it so much that he bought a ranch.  He came back in 1884 after his wife and mother died on the same day to mourn and recover.  He bought a second ranch called Elkhorn which he considered his home.

After the show he went outside to talk to anyone who wanted to ask questions or get a picture.  Rex enjoyed a brief chat in front of a statue of Theodore Roosevelt.

We had dinner at the Little Missouri Saloon and then found a different ice cream shop to stop at on the way home.  We are glad the weather was a little cooler today.