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Medora, North Dakota
Driving through what feels like the middle of nowhere, the car suddenly becomes surrounded by these colorful rock formations. These buttes aren’t just regular mountains though, these are the badlands. Outside the window are prairie dogs looking curiously as they bark, wild horses stand still on top of a bluff, and the car slows down because
crossing the road is a herd of buffalo. The family has reached Medora, North Dakota’s number one vacation destination. This small town in western North Dakota is filled with history, adventure, entertainment, and for many, is a family tradition. Many North Dakota families can’t just go to Disney every year, so Medora is a fun and affordable family vacation that can be a weekend or even a day trip.
The town of Medora was founded in April 1883 by a 24-year-old French nobleman, the Marquis de Mores. He gave the town its name after his bride, Medora. Only a few months later Theodore Roosevelt, future United States president, came to the badlands to hunt buffalo. He immediately fell in love with the land and claims, “It was here that the romance of my life began.” After proving that a cowboy can become president in 1901, Roosevelt said, “I would not have been President had it not been for my experience in North Dakota.”
Medora became the gateway to the south unit of the Theodore Roosevelt National Park established in 1978. Soon after the park was established, the Theodore Roosevelt Medora Foundation was formed by Harold Schafer, who said, “My obligation today is to see that Medora’s greatness can be carried on after my lifetime, that its future can be even better than the past.” Over 50 years later, the foundation’s mission is still to preserve, present, and serve its guests with the experience of the badlands, the values of Theodore Roosevelt and Harold Schafer, and opportunities to be educated and inspired.
There are many attractions in Medora to help educate the public about its history in an engaging way. A plethora of museums await, including the Harold Schafer Heritage Center, where visitors can learn all about the man who saved modern Medora through his success with the Gold Seal Company and Mr. Bubble. Tourists can step back and see what life was like at many historic sites like the Chateau De Mores and Teddy Roosevelt’s Maltese cross cabin that sheltered him during the brutal seasons in the badlands. Families can experience the legends of cowboys, cowgirls, and Native Americans at the North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame.
The historic town of Medora has so much to explore, but a must-see is the Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Experience the 36-mile scenic route through the badlands with close-up sightings of wildlife, including bison, wild horses, and prairie dogs. There are many opportunities to stop for pictures or hike one of the dozens of trails the park has to offer. Wind Canyon Trail is an easy climb alongside a wind-sculpted canyon and gives the best panoramic view of the Little Missouri but watch out for rattlesnakes. The true adventurers hike deep within the park to see the legendary petrified forest, ride horseback or mountain bike through the treacherous Maah Daah Hey Trail and set up camp at the end of the day.
Besides the national park, what really brings people to Medora is the entertainment: The Medora Musical. Or as many fondly call it, “Broadway in the Badlands.” Every summer, a cast of 12 Burning Hills Singers, The Coal Diggers Band, and a host put on the “Greatest Show in the West” for 100 nights, live and outside in the 2900 seat Burning Hills Amphitheatre. The content in the show is different every year but stays dedicated to emphasizing president Theodore Roosevelt’s time in the badlands and the spirit of the old west. Tryton Landsiedel, a Burning Hills Singer this past summer said, “It’s such a production, but different every year. It’s more than just a musical, you learn so much about the town and its history.”
Tryton came to Medora for the first time with his family when he was three years old and came back every year or two. After an intense auditioning process, Tryton became a Burning Hills Singer and spent this last summer performing in Medora. “It’s weird spending a whole summer somewhere you used to go once a summer and getting to know your idols,” he said. He referred to it as, “living his three-year-old dream.” When asked where he would take someone for a day in Medora he replied with the following, “A morning hike, brunch at the cowboy café, shopping, mini golf, ice cream, walking around town and listening to people perform at the Old Chuckwagon, dinner at the pitchfork fondue, and the Medora Musical.” Medora is a memorable experience and nostalgic for many North Dakotans. Tryton also added that there will be more changes and attractions coming due to more funding and the volunteers who uphold Medora’s standards. Tryton hopes to be back on the Medora stage next summer.
After a vacation filled with history, adventure, and entertainment, families are finishing their trips under the stars at the Medora Musical. Guests can reminisce on their time spent in Medora while the spotlight shines on the Hollywood-inspired Medora sign set in the badlands, the cowboys on horseback gallop down the hill, and the fireworks light up the North Dakota sky. Visitors can’t wait to come back next year as they hear the Burning Hills Singers sing, “So come home to North Dakota. North Dakota is the place where you belong. Wild and free, she waits for me coming home, to Medora.”
