Eight National Historic Sites
Come and visit them all!
Billings County is the home to eight National Register of Historic Sites. Five of the locations are located in Medora and are easily within walking distance of each other.
The sites are part of a commitment on part of the City of Medora and the Billings County Historical Society to protect, preserve and promote heritage tourism. Sharing Medora’s Horizon is the name of a grant awarded to the City of Medora to tell the story about the community and the county.
Awarded through the Preserve American Grant program, Sharing Medora’s Horizon , is designed to showcase heritage tourism in the United States. Medora is the gateway to the Theodore Roosevelt National Park South Unit, which is located in Billings County. Medora is the #1 vacation destination in North Dakota and heritage tourism is central to its business operation.
The eight sites and the date on which they became listed on the National Register of Historic Places are as follows:
•• Billings County Courthouse, 4th St. and 4th Ave., Medora, December 16, 1977.
•• Chateau de Mores, southwest of Medora on west bank of Little Missouri River, April 16, 1975.
••De Mores Packing Plant Ruins, northwest Medora city boundary, February 18, 1975.
•• Initial Rock, southeast of Medora approx. 20 miles by road, in Custer National Forest , November 7, 1975.
•• Myers School Timbered Lodge, Address Restricted, August 6, 1980.
•• Peaceful Valley Ranch, north of Medora along Little Missouri River in Theodore Roosevelt National Park, July 13, 1994.
•• St. Mary's Catholic Church, 4th St. and 3rd Ave. in Medora, December 2, 1977.
•• Von Hoffman House, Broadway and 5th St. in Medora, November 21, 1977.
Additionally, the de Mores Park in downtown Medora (the corner of Main and 3rd Avenue) is a parcel in the 128 acres that constitutes the Chateau de Mores State Historic Site. Much of the city of Medora is designated as a Historic Integrity District.
Two buildings, the Roughrider Hotel and the Joe Ferris Store, were reconstructed and renovated to match the western theme that permeates the architecture of the community.
Another key visitor opportunity to Medora is its geography, which is a major part of any community. Medora is situated within a breathtaking viewshed that encompasses a major northward flowing water artery (the Little Missouri River), trees, short grass prairie and forbs to sustain a wide variety of birds and wildlife. This natural viewshed is rugged, pristine and unaffected by industrial development, a stark reminder of a world that greeted Theodore Roosevelt and the Marquis de Mores when they arrived in 1883, six years before North Dakota was granted statehood.