History of Medora, North Dakota
A 24-year old French nobleman, the Marquis De Mores, founded the town of Medora in April 1883. He named the town for his bride, the former, Medora Von Hoffman, daughter of a wealthy New York City banker.
The Marquis de Mores arrived in the valley a few weeks after the abandonment of Badlands Cantonment in early 1883. With financial backing from his father-in-law, he founded the town of Medora east of the river, building a meat packing plant, a brick plant, a hotel, stores, and a large home (Chateau de Mores) overlooking his new town. The heavy influx of capital into Medora signaled the end of Little Missouri, with many Little Missouri businessmen moving east across the river to the new boomtown.
Despite the vision and energy of the Marquis, all of his various enterprises ended in financial failure by the fall of 1886. With their son and daughter, the Marquis and Marquise returned to France, where another son was to be born.
Another colorful individual drawn to this area was a young New York politician named Theodore Roosevelt. He first arrived to hunt buffalo in September 1883, immediately fell in love with the land, and invested in cattle raising. He would eventually own two large ranches - the Maltese Cross, about seven miles south of Medora, and the Elkhorn, about 35 miles north of town. In 1901 Roosevelt, at age 42, became the youngest president in United States history, serving until 1909. He called his years in the Badlands "the romance of my life," and often credited his Dakota experiences with enabling him to become president.
As the seat of Billings County, Medora continued to be an active community center following its flamboyant years. It has always been a cattle town, with countless thousands of cattle being shipped out over the years. From the 1920's to the 1940's, three large coalmines operated in the vicinity and from 1934 to 1941 the Civilian Conservation Corps maintained a base camp near Medora. After much landscape and restoration work by the CCC, the 128 acre Chateau de Mores State Historic Site, including de Mores City Park, was opened to the public on August 7, 1941.
The CCC also built many roads, signs, and structures within what is now Theodore Roosevelt National Park, which was established on April 25, 1947 and encompass some 110 square miles in its North and South Units.
In 1958, the theatrical production "Old Four Eyes," a dramatic retelling of Roosevelt's life in the North Dakota Badlands, was initiated in the specially constructed Burning Hills Amphitheater a mile west of Medora. The drama ran every summer until 1965, when the nationally renowned Medora Musical began production.
In 1962, entrepreneur Harold Schafer and his Gold Seal Company began a restoration and modernization of the old western town, developing many additional attractions.