Theodore Roosevelt National Park, Part 2

Kevin and I, along with our friends Richard & Bridget, went sunset-chasing, again, in Theodore Roosevelt National Park. This time we had plenty of time and enjoyed watching from our camp chairs. (See last post for how we barely caught a sunset.)

Chateau De Mores State Historic Site, Medora, ND, is just a few miles from our campground at Theodore Roosevelt National Park. This Marquis was from France and decided to built a meat processing plant here. He made up the town of Medora using his wife’s name for the town. The plant only lasted from 1883-1886 and later was offered “for free” but no one took it. The processing plants in Kansas City and Chicago didn’t like him processing the meat and shipping it in refrigerated train cars because it took business and money away from them. He bought 9000 acres and put up barbed wire, which the ranchers didn’t like because that hindered the cattle grazing. There was a fight and the Marquis killed a guy. He was acquitted 3 times. He got it in his head that Theodore Roosevelt was paying a guy to testify against him. He wrote a nasty letter and it could have been a threat to a duel to Roosevelt. They had been friendly before this.

This photo is the front part of the Chateau. The visitor center is a separate building with captioned film, free coffee, and great information. We had asked, before we bought our tickets, if the film was captioned. She said yes, “the words were at the bottom.” We told her I am deaf and wanted to make sure. She said yes. And she was right. After the film and the small museum, we drove to the Chateau. As we walked in, the ranger started signing American Sign Language with me! That was so amazing and really touched my heart! Apparently the lady at the front desk had called up to let her know I am deaf and was coming. The signing was excellent. She gave an overview of the place and then you walk through yourself. Now let me tell you…this 26-room house was their “cabin!” HA True. They owned castles and mansions in NY and France. This was their little “hunting cabin.” Medora was even a hunter and her husband said she was a better shot than he. 🙂 The family only came here in the summers.

It was a wonderful to see Richard and Kevin set up the ham radio and antenna. Whatever new part Kevin got made it possible to hear someone clear in Puerto Rico! What fun. The delight on their faces was pretty priceless. Bridget and I played games.

The North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park isn’t connected by road to the south unit. You have to go east to Belfield and then north. On the two lane road we got behind the longest convoy of vehicles for oil drilling. Kevin did great passing each one when he safely could. It was kind of a game. He has been wanting to see harvesters (combines cutting wheat) and really wants to see two or three combines working in a row. Suddenly he took a turn to the right onto a farm road. He wasn’t going fast but we teased him about “throwing us against the door on the turn.” HA He had spotted a combine in a field and it was working. We stopped in front of the field and watched for a few minutes. By this time the combine was stopped and the someone got out of a truck and talked to the guy working on the header. I said it was coffee break and he was getting his treat. HA Then Kevin looked up and what did he see coming down the road we had just been on? The convoy! Oh boy, he gunned the truck down the farm road to get back on the main road and ahead of the pack. We were laughing so hard! He got behind the lead truck but was soon able to pass. So funny. 

The north unit visitor center is temporary buildings but had a good film and information. Plus passport stamp. One stamp even said something about “saving North Dakota, the best for last.” HA We stopped at Cannonball Concretions Trailhead. These cannonball rocks are really something to see! Round ball, some as tall as Kevin’s waist, are unknown on how they are made. And they are unique and only right here. So fun to see! We saw a bison walking down the middle of the road. By this time, we had seen so many bison that we don’t even get out our cameras and we don’t slow down to see them. LOL We have also seen a lot of wild horses and several prairie dog towns. 

Anyway, we went across the road to Little Missouri Nature Trail trailhead to walk the trail. We picked up the paper at the start that told about the stops along the way. Skunkbrush has a beautiful red berry. Some of the leaves have started changing colors and the orange, reds, and yellows are on a few bushes and trees. There is even Prickly Pear cactus here. Who would have thought! Bentonite is a blueish-gray color and is around here. It is often used in cat litter. After the 0.7 mile hike, we got out our picnic lunch. There are nice shade trees and picnic tables near the parking lot. We continued on to the end of the scenic drive. It was 7.5 hours of driving, hiking, and enjoying the beauty. 

That evening we went to Dakota Nights Astronomy Festival 2025 held there in the park just down the road from the campground at Peaceful Valley Ranch (park headquarters). It is just this weekend and started at 8:30 p.m. A ranger put a red cellophane piece over everyone’s camera lens and held on by a rubber band. He told everyone how to turn on the accessibility to made the screens red. White lights were against the rules because it interferes with people looking at the sky. There were probably 15 telescopes set up. College students were in the middle and would shine strong lasers at constellations to education people. For the four of us, our favorite thing was seeing Starlink satellites cross the sky! They were in a very long line. We hadn’t seen this part of them before; we have seen them just after launch when they are close together. These went clear across the sky and everyone was watching. What a thrill! Bridget was excited to learn and see the image from a telescope on an iPad. So much easier to see. Fun! 

Bridget and I went to Medora Cemetery for Find A Grave (footnote 1). She started volunteering for photo requests. There is one photo request and his name is Max. We found his wife but no headstone for Max. His son was “lost at sea” in college in Seattle. Bridget said she has always like the name Max and we really wanted to find him. On the way back to the campground we saw a bison and we named him Max. Now all the bison we see are “Max!” Great and fun times!!!

*The blog posts are taken from my daily travel journal. Would you believe – it takes me a 1/2 day every week to whittle down a week’s worth of journal so it won’t be too long for the post each week. HAHA Thank you for reading!

1. Find A Grave – https://www.findagrave.com/about