The Dickinson press., 1895-02-16

tion for the antelope and other big
game with which the country abounds,
he conceived the idea of building an
immense slaughter and packing house
there, to eclipse and rival those of
Chicago and other points, and figured
that it would be bonanza to have
his establishment located in the midst |
of the best cattle country, where he
could handle the stock in the first in.
stance, and instead of shipping cattle |
East, ship the dressed meat and un.
dersell other dealers and obtain a
monopoly of the meat trade of the |
whole country, and at the same time |
build up a great packing town in the |
Bad Lands.
He figured also. that being right on
the grounds, in the immediate pres.
ence of his raw material, so to speak,
he could afford to pay the cattle men
more for their stock than Chicago
dealers, and, incidentally, shut off the
supply from, and close up such small
concerns as Armour ct al.
With this rosy outlook he proceed
ed to build the town of Medora con.
slsting of many brick residences for
his employees, large brick hotel,
and rs center piece the expensive
packing house costing many thou.
sands of dollars, besides large ware.
houses and many other buildings.
For his own residence he built
large frame dwelling OH Il high bluff
across the Little Missouri, just oppo.
site the town, and the only building
now on the west side of the river.
The packing house was rugged out
in the most approved style and with
the most expensive machinery and
started at its full capacity as soon as
completed. The town filled with
people. stores were opened, and bust.
ness of all kinds started up, and
dozen saloons and gambling dens
were in full blast. All the toughs
and cut-throats in the country were
attracted to Medora, owing to the ab.
sence of law and the free circulation
of the marquis money, and the place
became hell on earth. After awhile
it was clearly seen that someone had
blundered." The marquis, with his
dudish appearance and Partisan
ways. became very unpopular with
the cattlemen and cow.punchers,
among whom he was regarded rs the
most aggravated type Of the genus
tenderfoot.
They demanded exorbitant prices
for their stock and refused to sell to
the marquis except for more than
Chicago prices. The men employed
in the packing house demanded the
highest wages, and everything used
about the place had to pay ruinous
freight charges. Salt alone cost so
much in Medora that it did not pay
to save the hides for shipment, and
they were thrown away. Relations
between the marquis and his cowboy
neighbors became more and more
strained, until the interchange of
shots was frequent, and finally his
residence on the hill was besieged BY
large force of cowboys and others
of the tough element. But if the
marquis was lacking in business ca.
pacity, he was not lacking in bravery.
as the sequel and his subsequent ca.
reer have fully shown. and the siege
was raised after several of the be.
siegers had obtained free specimens
of the Frenchman's lead. One man
was killed, and he is buried on the
west bank of the Little Muddy, where
rest several others of the early popu.
lation of Medora who went abruptly
hence with their boots on.
| De MOreS was indicted and tried
for murder at Mandan, but was &C.
quilted, and soon after he closed up
the packing house and returned with
his wife to France, where he has
since fought many duels, in which he
was always the victor.
Medora was named in honor of Mad.
anne de M0res, who was Miss MedOra
Won Hoffman, of New York, through
whom the marquis acquired the great.
er part Of the many thousands forev.
er buried in the Bad Lands. She
was noted as a daring rider, and equal.
ly as skillful with the rifle as her
husband.
For several years after returning
to France the marquis made annual
visits to Medora to inspect his prop.
erty and hunt, but his visits have
been discontinued and the buildings
left to rot.
The town is surrounded on all
sides. except the river, by high slate.
colored cliffs, and on all sides far in.
to the distance stretch the Bad Lands
consisting of barren and serried
buttes. In many places can be seen
arising the smoke from subterranean
fires that have been burning deep be.
meath the surface of the earth since
the country was first visited, and
how long before nobody knows. Pet.
rified logs and stumps are scattered
plentifully around; Ignite coal is oh.
tanned almost at the surface of the
ground, in which can plainly be seen
the fossil wood formation, showing
conclusively that at one time the
now barren country was densely and
heavily wooded, but that the forest
was buried by some upheaval of the
earth's surface at this point.
In some of the mines that have
been opened are found chunks of
wood only partly carbonized, also
chunks of resin showing that the for.
est, in part at least. was of pine.
The country throughout is covered
freely with red scoria, from which it
would seem, it had sometime been
subject to intense heat.
On first view the country between
Dickinson and the Montana state line
seems so utterly worthless, except
perhaps as right of way Tor the
railroad and to equalfzs the appear.
ance of the map to people who have
never seen the country, that it has
been suggested that all that portion
of the state of North Dakota should
be cut off and thrown away and Mon.
tana pushed that much further east.
II But with all its barren and worth.
less appearance, its ravines and the
shelter of the hills are valuable as
protection to the range cattle in win.
ter from the worst storms and bliz.
yards and for some grazing found in
the lower portions and along the
banks of the streams. In the early
days it was . refuge for the immense
herds of buffalo that then roamed
lover the section.