Historic Medora—Boom and Bust

Historic Medora—Boom and Bust. Theodore Roosevelt National Park. The Marquis de Mores, a charismatic French nobleman, founded Medora in 1883. The Northern Pacific Railroad had reached the badlands only three years prior, opening the region to entrepreneurs and adventurers from the East. , For a few years the town grew and thrived while the local cattle industry flourished. The severe winter of 1886-87 killed much of the area's livestock, causing the industry, and eventually the town, to collapse. , Medora , Even during Medora's prosperous years, the town consisted of only a scattering of buildings and homes. The most notable buildings were a catholic church, a general store, a hotel, and a train depot. , De Mores Meat Packing Plant , A chimney and a few stone walls are the remnants of Medora's cornerstone operation and the Marquis' chief business venture. Shipping beef in refrigerated railcars proved profitable, but the extreme winter of 1886-87 devastated area cattle herds and put the meat packing plant out of business. , Chateau de Mores , The Marquis' 26-room hunting lodge, built in 1883, sits on a hilltop overlooking the town he named for his wife, Medora. The home was restored by the Civilian Conservation Corps and is now a museum. , Little Missouri , The tiny town of Little Missouri got its start around 1880 thanks to arrival of the railroad and construction of a military cantonment nearby. The town slowly dissolved after the founding of Medora on the other side of the Little Missouri River. , Modern-day Medora . , Decades later, Medora would recover from the ranching bust thanks largely to the efforts of Harold Schafer, who invested his fortune to revitalize the town. Medora's thriving economy now centers around tourism., Theodore Roosevelt National Park , South Unit Visitor Center , Theodore Roosevelt's Maltese Cross Cabin , (originally located 7 miles south) , Chimney Park , State Historical Society of North Dakota , Chateau de Mores Interpretive Center , State Historical Society of North Dakota