Today, we toured the park, the town of Medora,
the Chateau deMores, and a hike to the
Petrified Forest and MORE......
Maltese Cross Cabin
Theodore Roosevelt first came to the North Dakota badlands
to hunt bison in September 1883. During that first short trip,
he got his bison and fell in love with the rugged lifestyle
and the "perfect freedom" of the West. He invested $14,000
in the Maltese Cross Ranch, which was already being
managed by Sylvane Ferris and Bill Merrifield
seven miles south of Medora. That winter, Ferris and Merrifield
built the Maltese Cross Cabin. After the death of both his
wife and mother on February 14, 1884, Teddy Roosevelt
returned to his North Dakota ranch seeking solitude
and time to heal. He was 23 years old.
As he established his cattle ranch, Roosevelt
saw the need to protect the natural
resourses, and these experiences inspired
him to devloped the National Park
System when he became president.
Some pictures of some of the buildings in Medora
The Chateau de Mores
lodge and summer home for his family and guests.
with 10 bedrooms for the family, guests and staff.
who came to the Dakota badlands in 1883 to
the town which the Marquis founded and named for his
wife, Medora. He built many structures in the town for
those he employed in his operations, including
town bustled, but in 1886 the operation collapsed due
and the Marquis' own lack of business experience. The
plant was abandoned. The Marquis and his family returned
to Europe; but, left behind a small town ripe with the
Front view
South view overlooking the barns and stable
The view of Medora from the Chateau
Smokestack and some foundation are all that are left
of the slaughterhouse
On the road to the Petrified Forest
A privately owned ranch gives permission to travel
their roads through their oil fields and cattle ranch so
visitors can hike to the Petrified Forest 7 miles in.
As you can see..the road is rugged
and not well marked...which way?
Sure glad we've got "Boots"
Now, we have to hike in
Here we go.....
Lots of wildflowers
Will he make it.....
There it is... a petrified stump
and we're not hiking another 2.3 miles in to see more!!
vast scenery
every way you look
We did the best we could--the sign
said 2.3 miles to go and it was hot...one of us wasn't
going any further; so we hiked back.
Back at the Park, we drove the 36 miles loop
Old barn from 1905, where they have horses for
trail rides
Peaceful Valley Ranch
Original House circa 1889
Prairie Dog Town
Resting Buffalo..best way to see um..from a distance
Is this the one Buzz?
Awesome views
Painted Canyon
WILD Horses..didn't think we'd see any
Wild Horses..yes they are.
Yes, another hike..this is so beautiful.
On top of Buck Hill
Wind Canyon
Boy, are we going to be tired tonight..
this was only 20 minutes to climb!
Little Missouri River
What kind of flower is that?
OK, I've had enough..lets' go!
Buffalo Herd
Wild Horses (right by the roadside)
Went into Medora for pizza, and walked to this historic
store.
Joe Ferris General Store
It was about 9:15 PM, Buzz went to use the campground facilities.
You could here loud yells and snorting sounds....WELL,
Following the path back to our site, he saw something dark and very large
about 10 feet ahead. He took one step forward and there was a HUGE
BULL BUFFALO ...grunting and pawing the dirt ready to defend his space!
WOW-jumped behind a tree and ran to the safety of another campsite!
He pawed the ground and came closer to the campsite.
I ran to tell Karen, she could hear me.
This is how he looked on the path
Look how big he is
Pretty scary for the moment!
The best part is..Mr. Buffalo came to our campsite and slept
by our RV on Buzz's side of the bedroom!
Couldn't tell who was snoring Buzz or Mr. Buffalo..could smell who was
outside though...we were dry camping..windows open.
Quite a day!
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