Medora, Salute to Theodore Roosevelt

The road to Medora was an easy drive; smooth and straight as an arrow.  As we drove along, the landscape began to change from flat prairie to more rolling, green hills.  The ever present corn and soy beans were still there as were the Sunflower fields.

Any time we drive from place to place, we are bound to see all sorts of billboards and other things designed to lure you into a stop.  Sometimes, you pass something that has no explanation like this piece of sculpture.  It looks much like an eye to me.  There was no explanation but it certainly caught my eye and demanded a picture.  Perhaps is pays tribute to all the migratory birds that go through ND.

Medora, population 132 is the gateway to the Theodore Roosevelt National Park and the number one tourist destination in ND.  Imagine that!  It is a tiny town but filled with pride and patriotism for its country and the history of this town.

Our final night here, we went to a dinner and musical production called Medora. It is held at a venue on top of a bluff where an amphitheater has been created for the show that has been in operation for 60 years+.  We were told that they have served as many as 1200 people at a time!  How can a town of 132 support this I wondered.  Well, volunteers from all around come and donate their time for a week, imagine that.  The dinner features "fondue steak" as a signature dish.  They actually put steaks on pitch forks and put them in oil or seasoned broth, I am not sure which but the result is delicious.  The show was very well done and entertaining.  As the show was beginning, on the hills above we could see two large Elk.  Now, it was not by chance mind you that they were there.  Somehow they had "trained" these two to come everyday at this time.  They put some food up there and as soon as they open the gate, the Elk make a beeline to get the food.  However it happens, it was amazing to see.  The show had many elements that honored not only our country and her veterans but also Theodore Roosevelt, conservationist whose efforts ensure our nation's natural wonders can be enjoyed for years to come.

Maltese cross 

Maltese cross cabin

If you remember your history, you know that he lost both his Mother and wife within hours of each other.  Suffering from profound grief, he left his infant daughter with his sister and made his way West ending up in ND at Medora.  He lived, worked and wrote in what is now known as the Maltese cross cabin.  Teddy and his companions used spent rifle cartridges to pound the Maltese cross into the end of one of the exterior logs of the cabin which was moved to the grounds of the visitor center of the park that bears his name.

Teddy loved North Dakota.  He found peace and solace here living the life of rancher, hunter and explorer.  It is here in Medora that his ideas about conservation and the “strenuous life” took root.  Without his experiences here, we would not have the National Park system that is so important to us personally and to our country.

We started our visit to the park at the visitor center where there was a great deal of history about Teddy and people he met and worked with in Medora.  People like Marquis de Mores and his wife.  They shared the love of the ND land and the life of peace it brought.  I could go on and on but this is a blog not a history lesson, right?  One of the things that struck me at the museum was a statue of Teddy astride his horse.  It is made from strips of wood, painstakingly put together to form not only the horse but the figure of TR as well.  The figure is wearing clothing that he wore on a daily basis.  It was an amazing work of art.

After the museum, we joined a line of traffic waiting to proceed into the heart of the park.  Road work is necessary for sure but it can be a pain in the neck when one wants to get going.  The first 13 miles of the road into the interior is under repair so we had to wait for the pilot car to lead us through to the other side.  But once we were in the park, well, you have to read my next blog to find out!