05-31-2026 Medora Eating and Shopping Day

- June 05, 2026

Our first stop today was at the visitor center. We wanted to see if any of the rangers checked on the Bison we saw stuck in the mud yesterday. We talked to two in the parking lot, and they got the call but did not have a chance to go check. They asked us to show them where on the map we saw it. They said they would check on it today, but from the description we gave them, it didn’t sound very good.

After our conversation with the rangers, we drove into town and toured the North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame. Surprisingly, we enjoyed it. It has great exhibits. They are expanding the museum in the next few years. It’s going to be 10,000 square feet bigger. They are also going to redo the entire front. All funded by donors, very impressive. There was a display that featured a book I was interested in, Land in Her Own Name by H. Elaine Lindgren. I asked at the gift shop desk, and they are sold out. One of the volunteers even checked the back to make sure. She directed me to the Western Edge Bookstore, and they should have a copy. We made a few purchases, one being a Christmas ornament, and drove to the bookstore.

It’s funny, but there is a sign on the door saying they are open, but around back, and to call this phone number. I did, and the owner opened the door within a few minutes. I asked him about the book, and he said Oh yes, we have it and took me to the wall it should have been on, but it was not. He looked at the wall and looked back at me and said, “Ooopppss, guess I’ve sold out and need to order more. I’m so sorry.” I said no worries and asked about the book Untamed by Patrick Springer. It’s the history of the wild horses in Theodore Roosevelt National Park. He had that. I also purchased the following books:

· The Abraham Lincoln Book of Quotes edited by Travis Hellstrom

· The Bully Pulpit edited by H. Paul Jeffers

· Medora and Theodore Roosevelt National Park by Gary Leppart

Oh no....hangry. Gotta eat. We drove over to Medora UncorK’d. We had drinks and appetizers. We didn’t want to eat too much since Barry was cooking a Bison Sirloin Steak tonight. This place was in a little strip mall with other little shops and an ice cream place that was packed. Barry ended up buying two knives at a shop, and I bought another new hat and a dish towel with Medora, North Dakota, printed on it. Nothing interesting was in the other stores, so back to the Jeep.

We drove over to the other side of the street to a few shops. Only one was open. The others closed at 5:00 PM, and it was about 5:15 PM. After we decided to drive up to the new Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library to see if we could see anything. It sits atop a hill overlooking Medora. The view from there is amazing. There still is a lot of construction going on for something that is supposed to open on July 4^th. Once it is complete, it will be incredible. The entire roof will be a prairie garden.

Also up there is the Medora Musical Area. We’ve seen signs around town and in brochures but have not paid much attention because the shows do not start until June. But we saw the venue. It’s in a little ravine of the mountainside. It’s an old western town with lighting, a stage and a few other sets. The seating is angled, so it looks as if there is no bad seat. It just looks like so much fun. Since it’s outside, I can see why the shows don’t start until June. The shows are sold out every year. If we were here during that time, we would absolutely attend a show. It was windy and getting cold, so back to the Jeep.

Down the hill we went and decided to drive to the golf course. It was only three miles into the hills. Talk about a beautiful setting with the Badlands hills behind the course. Who would think there is such a green golf course in those hills? It was close to 6:30 PM, and we headed back to the RV.

Barry cooked the Bison steak and cubed it. We ate it like an appetizer. We love Bison. It’s very lean and almost no fat. Great day in Medora.