The Underrated Historic Site That Just Might Be The Most Beautiful Place In North Dakota
The town of Medora is definitely one of the busiest tourist spots in North Dakota. The wild west town is full of places to visit and see, including the favorites like the outdoor Medora Musical and the unique Pitchfork Steak Fondue dining experience. Being on the edge of the state’s amazing national park adds on to why this place is so popular. But there is another spot in that town that tends to be lesser known and, considering how beautiful it is, totally underrated. Here’s a look into why it is and why it’s so gorgeous:
We’re aware that these uncertain times are limiting many aspects of life as we all practice social and physical distancing. While we’re continuing to feature destinations that make our state wonderful, we don’t expect or encourage you to go check them out immediately. We believe that supporting local attractions is important now more than ever and we hope our articles inspire your future adventures! And on that note, please nominate your favorite local business that could use some love right now: https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/nominate/
The place we're talking about is the Chateau De Mores, a grand historic mansion overlooking the majestic badlands. This home is loaded with a unique history as well as mesmerizing views.
With a view like this from the porch, what more could you ask for? The man who built and owned this house was the Marquis de Mores, a frenchman who traveled to North Dakota in the late 1800s. The home was built in 1883. The entire town of Medora was founded by him and was named after his wife.
This was only the Marquis' summer home, which included the house perched on the hill as well as the bottom lands around it. All of this has been beautifully restored and preserved into the historic site that is open to visitors today.
There's no doubt the Marquis de Mores and his family lived a life of luxury. He started many business ventures in North Dakota including a freight company, stagecoach line, and cattle and sheep ranches, among others. Tours in the Chateau de Mores are great ways to learn about all this and more of North Dakota's history.
Along with the grand views and the home, the historic site has a few other awesome activities that make it a fun place to visit. Stagecoach rides through town, an interpretative center, as well as a program called History Alive. During the summer, you can meet up with people from the past - including the Marquis, his wife, and notable historic members of Medora - on the front porch of the mansion. While you enjoy the views, you can listen to their stories and maybe learn something new.
Leah moved to North Dakota when she was 12 years old and has traveled from the Red River Valley to the badlands and many places in between. She loves small-town life and currently enjoys living on a small farm in the ND prairie. She's always had a passion for writing and has participated in novel writing challenges such as NaNoWriMo multiple times. Her favorite part about this job is recognizing small businesses that deserve a boost and seeing the positive affect her articles can have on their traffic, especially in rural areas that might have otherwise gone overlooked.
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