Teddy Roosevelt: Part 2, Medora

(Note: To mark the 100th Anniversary of the Panama Canal, we would like to take another look at Teddy Roosevelt's life, his time in the West, in Cuba, the Presidency, and The Panama Canal.)

North Dakota is not exactly the spot that people immediately think of as a tourist destination, either winter or summer. The seasons are extreme, and the surrounding states have North Dakota jokes, that in other places pass as dumb blonde, or Pollack, or equally politically inappropriate jokes. Yet, thanks to three men -- a French nobleman, a larger than life American President, and a self made millionaire with a heightened sense of history -- Medora, N D, where the Badlands meet the Roosevelt National Park, has become one of the premier summer tourist stops in the Upper Midwest.

The Marquis de Mores was a playboy, an adventurer, and a dreamer. When the citizens of Little Missouri, in N D, ridiculed "The strange little foreigner", he started his own town on the other side of the river, which he named Medora, after his bride. He built her an elegant 28 room Chateau, on a grand scale not seen before in that part of the country. The Chateau was staffed with some 30 servants.

The Marquis had grandiose ideas that he hoped would make him the leading financier in the country. In 1883 range cattle were shipped, live, to the eastern markets for slaughter. De Mores planned to slaughter the cattle locally, send the processed meat east, iced down at various points along the line -- saving vast amounts of money. He constructed a large meat packing plant in Medora. Immediately he ran into difficulties.

1. Ice-making machines were in their infancy and were apt to break down.

2. The large packers, his competitors, lashed out and sabotaged his meat.

3. The supply of cattle to his plant was not dependable.

4. The range beef was tough and stringy and not well accepted by consumers.

Therefore, the Marquis de Mores' packing plant lost money from the very beginning. But the Marquis was stubborn and was prepared to pour money into the operation just as long as his father-in-law, a New York banker, would provide the money. After four years, however, Medora's father cried, "Enough!" and the plant was forced to close.

The Marquis and his wife, Medora, returned to France. The Marquis offered his services to France and died in Africa at age 36 in the service of the King. The Marquis and his bride had never-the-less left their mark on North Dakota. The name Medora is preserved. The chimney of the packing plant still stands, the Chateau is open to the public, and the city park, with the proud Marquis' statue still welcomes visitors.

On Valentine's Day, 1884, in New York, Theodore Roosevelt's mother and his wife died, within hours of one another. Grief-stricken, he literally fled to North Dakota, determined to leave politics and his life of ease -- leave civilization behind. He bought a ranch north of Medora, in what is now the Roosevelt National Park and determined to spend his remaining days in seclusion. Instead, the rugged land reinvigorated him. He loved the outdoors, and learned to respect the land and the people of the west. He enjoyed the "rough sport" of the cowboys. Before long he had recovered his health and his spirit, and returned to the east -- to the "rough sport" of politics in New York -- a path that would take him to the White House, to become the youngest U.S. President at 42.

Roosevelt said that he would never have become President had it not been for the experiences that he had while ranching in North Dakota. He also carried away a deep appreciation for nature. This love of the land would cause him to work hard for the legislation that would establish America's first National Park System.

He also never ceased his relationship with the cowboys of the west. When the Spanish American War began, in 1898, Roosevelt formed his own Cavalry unit to go to Cuba. This unit was made up of his old cowboy cronies, as well as his gentlemen "hound riding" friends from the Ivy League. It has been said when he led his unit's "Charge Up San Juan Hill", that was the event that propelled him into the Presidency.

So Medora's place in the history of the old west is still very much in evidence. And the Bad Lands are unusual, and in a year like 2002, when they have had abundant rain, they are beautiful. The Roosevelt National Park offers solitude for those who seek the quiet, but there are also trails, wildlife, and wonders of nature for the curious. But these natural wonders were not enough and Medora, by the 1950s, had gone downhill to the extent that it was almost a Ghost Town. It remained for another native North Dakotan to make Medora a real tourist destination.

Harold Shafer was a salesman for a Bismark ND paint company in the 1930s. His territory covered the western part of North Dakota and some of Montana. Ambitious, he eventually went into business for himself, manufacturing and selling a line of cleaning products, under the name of Gold Seal Products. In the 1950s he became wealthy by using the new medium, television, to hawk his furniture polish, Bubble Bath, powdered bleach, and his signature product, Glass Wax.

As he became successful he began to buy up the town of Medora, the old hotel, the grocery store, the churches -- everything, simply to keep them from being torn down. Medora was located along the interstate, but Shafer realized he needed an outstanding attraction to get people to stay over in Medora.

In 1965 the Medora Musical was born, and Medora began to be a tourist destination. Over the next 50 years it has evolved into a major event in the Upper Midwest. Today, almost 3000 visitors a night, from all over the world, are treated to a show that is part Las Vegas and part Nashville, with a large dose of patriotism mixed in. The production plays against a spectacular backdrop of the Dakota Badlands. It tells the story of Medora, and TR, coupled with acts from Hollywood, Las Vegas, and Russia.

In 1972 our daughter, Susan, spent the summer in Medora as a member of the cast of the Burning Hills Singers, the basic performers year after year. In 2002 she longed to introduce her children to the place that had meant so much to her as a girl. My wife, Jean, and I were privileged to accompany her back to Medora for a bit of nostalgia.

Harold Shafer died in 2001, but his legacy is very much in place. In 1994 he had arranged for his holdings in Medora to go to an ongoing foundation. Medora itself seems to be prospering. A new school, new court house, and a beautiful new auditorium have been erected just outside of "Old Town". A new, $5 million amphitheater is in place.

Medora is a bustling place in the summer. There is a lot to do. The trail ride, through pine forests, to the cliff overlooking Medora and the Badlands is breathtaking. There are museums, and smaller productions that tell Medora's story. The Marquis' Chateau is furnished in the style of the 1890s and appropriately dressed young people vividly paint the picture of life there in the early days. Each afternoon "Teddy Roosevelt" speaks from the balcony of the Roughriders' Hotel. Each day another New York actor gives a spellbinding performance of Roosevelt, describing his life and times. Other attractions make it easy to imagine the Medora of a hundred years ago. (In 2015 there is the addition of the Bully Pulpit Golf Course, a World Class magnet for golfers.)

We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Medora. Susan was welcomed back, as an Alum, at the Saturday night production of the Musical. She was thrilled to see that the Medora tradition has not only survived, but has thrived in the last 30 years. I'm sure that Teddy Roosevelt would be well pleased as well. I can hear him now, "Bully! Well done, Medora. Good show!