Former President Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt is brought to life in Medora, ND.

There are certain stops on our trips that leave a lasting impression. Last year’s summer trip through the Midwest will always be recalled for the stop in Mackinaw City and our trip to Mackinac Island, as well as our visit to Dayton, OH and the US Air Force Museum. This past winter trip to and around the Gulf of Mexico will always be remembered for our stays in Memphis, Nashville, and Chattanooga, TN, for the music and museums. 

My dear readers, please let me welcome you to a NEW entry into the “ohh my god, I will remember this stop for the rest of my life” category.  Medora, North Dakota. Home of the Badlands and the Theodore Roosevelt National Park.  Medora is an amazing place to visit, so I’ll do all the advertising up front and say if you have a chance to go to Medora, ND, GO! It is not an easy place to get to, but you will not be disappointed.

First of all, you have to understand that Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt, the nation’s 26^th US President is alive, living in Medora, and giving lectures, espousing on politics, and basically acting like the mayor of Medora (Can you blame him?). Here is a picture of TR - that’s what everybody calls him in Medora. And I mean EVERBODY!  

For all intents and purposes, in Medora, this IS Theodore Roosevelt.  And this man is everywhere! He lectured at brunch, he was featured in the Medora Musical, and he even led a group of 6 of us on a three-mile early morning hike through the Medora Badland hills called the Buttes. The word “butte” is of French origin, meaning knoll; its use is prevalent in the Western United States to describe larger landforms with distinctive shapes.  Hopefully you can visualize them…Here is a picture of me with the buttes in the background from inside Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

Breathe, breathe.  Seems I got a little overenthusiastic, so let’s dial it back a bit and get back on point. The point being that the man playing Theodore Roosevelt, Joe Wiegand, is the world’s best Theodore Roosevelt reprisor. Part actor, part historian, part politician, the man embodies the former president. He is addressed as TR or Mr. President, and as you would expect of a good politician, he knows everybody in town and can give you the 411 on the town’s development, as well as the best coffee shop for a latte. The man is a vibrant part of Medora and facilitates an absolutely awesome experience! You really feel like you have stepped back in time and are witnessing the early 19^th century. 

The Medora RV Park is less than a mile from the center of town and our first morning in Medora finds us going to brunch in town, which is promoted as a “hearty breakfast” and a conversation with Theodore Roosevelt.  And we were stunned at the uncanny resemblance as we sit in the small audience, mouths agape, as TR tells stories of his time living and ranching in the Badlands. We quickly learned all about his first visit to Medora on a bison hunt, his life in NY politics, and the death of his first wife and mother on the same day, just after the birth of his first daughter Alice Lee. Theodore Roosevelt was so devastated by those losses that he decided to travel to Medora to rejuvenate his soul in the vigorous life and beautiful landscapes. We also heard about his ranching days, his fight with the Mingusville Bully, his capture of the notorious “Boat Thieves”, and eventually his rise to the presidency. When the event had concluded, TR stepped outside and gladly spoke to the throng of people that had gathered around to have another word or two with the former president.  Judy and I were both thoroughly impressed with the show but needed to move along to other sightseeing opportunities.  Little did we realize just how involved TR is in the story of Medora. 

Medora is also known for its show, the Medora Musical, which has been an attraction since 1965.  Judy and I go “ALL IN” on the experience by getting tickets for the “Pitchfork Fondue Dinner” prior to the musical, way up on a butte with a beautiful overlooking view of the southern side of Medora. The Pitchfork Fondue Dinner is exactly as billed.  NY strip steak skewered with a 2-prong pitchfork, dunked in kettles of boiling oil, served buffet style in an open aired dining facility. The food was OK, but the view from the top of the butte was extraordinary.  The Medora Musical is a wonderful, toe tapping extravaganza, with iconic music, great dancing, and an elaborate set design which moves on rails to open up the stage.  It is presented at The Burning Hills Amphitheater, which was carved into the hillside known as Burning Gulch. Not a bad seat in the theater. Teddy Roosevelt has been part of the show since its inception and more than 4 million folks have seen the Medora Musica, some go back year after year.

The first half of the show begins before sunset, but the second half occurs with darkness overshadowing the hills behind the stage. One of the more moving segments of the performance has the stage set opening so that there is a full view of the Medora sign and hill.  Actors portraying the Calvary ride up the butte behind the stage and raise an American flag whilst, on stage, Theodore Roosevelt is telling of the history of his time as a rough rider and honoring all those who perished in defense of the stars and stripes. A well-orchestrated scene. 

We ventured into the Theodore Roosevelt National Park on more than one occasion. The park is quite amazing, and we all should be grateful that the area was designated a National Park in 1919.  We were warned that the male Bison are in Rut and can be more aggressive. Basically, we were told not to get out of the truck to “pet the fluffy cows”! Not wanting to become the next tragic YouTube video, we obeyed. One afternoon we were lucky enough to see one, and Judy was able to catch the amazing video footage (below) of a very large male Bison slowly walk by the truck.

Trying to keep this blog post short was going to be an uphill battle. We were very active in Medora and we not only got to experience all that the town has to offer, but we also made a foray to the nearby town of Dickinson, ND. In Dickinson we spent the afternoon in the Badlands Dinosaur Museum.  Not surprisingly, many of the fossils in the museum were discovered within 80 miles of Dickinson. There are still active paleontology excavations currently going on in the state, and we were able to watch a graduate student at work removing millions of years of rock and debris from a fossilized dinosaur.  Pretty neat!

 

Of all the experiences and interactions that we had in Medora with TR (yes, I know, here we are again), what stands out most for me is our 3-mile hike, called the Point to Point, with the former president. Yes, you read that correctly, TR actually gives guided tours in the form of a pretty rigorous hike, at 7:30 am, for anyone willing to take the climb. So, bright and early on a Tuesday morning, Judy and I assembled at the appointed meeting spot, along with 5 others, awaiting the arrival of our guide, TR.  We started our hike by climbing 150 vertical feet on trails, which went back and forth across the face of the buttes. At one amazing moment, TR climbed out onto a protruding rock, looked directly down on the town of Medora, and yelled at the top of his lungs, “Good Morning Medora!” 

    To which the people on the streets below yelled back up, “Good Morning, Mr. President!”

I was absolutely flabbergasted. Talk about a WOW factor. Thankfully, Judy was taking pictures. I was so gob smacked that I’ll probably be telling this story for years to come.  On the road there are lots of stories to tell, and this will be one of my favorites.  But there’s always another adventure waiting around the next curve in the road, as we tell… the Rest of the Story.