The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1903-04-24
De MoRE's MONUMENT.
Fast eDcaying Packing Plant at
.t, Medors.

Fast eDcaylng Packing Plant at
Butte Inter Mountain. When Tho.
Core Roosevelt, Eow president, WAS iii
the west many years ago, the Mar
quis de Mores was one Of the promi-
nent men of this section, and the pres
ence of Mr.. Roosevelt in Montana at
this time is bringing to light a flood
Ct old-time stories concerning the
Frenchman who cut such a wide
swath in days gone by.
The marquis went to Medora when
ii, was only a way station on the line
of the Northern Pacific without even
q name.
His mission there was the same as
that Of Roosevelt and that of hun
dreds of Understanding.
While hunting there the marquis
became very much attached to the
rare, rugged beauty of that valley
with it's great earth powders of
Duties which make it n of the most
picturesque regions of the world.
He fingered for months, and in some
way there came to him, at first or sec
ond hand, the idea of erecting a giant
packing house in the heart of that
great cattle country.
He reasoned that if the cattle
should be driven right from the range
and slaughtered at Medora he could
outstrip the great packers of Chicago
and other western cities.
Perhaps it was an impracticable
idea; at any rate he determined to
attempt it.
He had married when very young
Medora, the beautiful daughter OF
the famous banker, l.. Won Hoffman,
of New York and Paris, and, although
the banker was not heartily pleased
with his son-in-law's project, he could
refuse nothing to his daughter, and
SC readily furnished the funds for
the enterprise.
And SO it came about that the way
station about twenty years ago was
suddenly transformed into one of the
liveliest and busiest places in the
west.
The scheme seemed 1t first blush
entirely sane and reasonable, owing
largely to the location of the spot.
Medora is in the center of the bad
lands and consists of a plain about
one mile square, shut in on three
sides by hills and those gigantic
buttes which look like nothing else
on earth, but very like some Dantesque
picture of hell.
There he erected a gigantic plant
for the slaughter of beef, and into
chinery that could be obtained.
He built a Hotel De Mores for the
employees; he had a clubhouse, which
had in its upper story a theater and
below lounging rooms, billiard tables,
bowling alleys, etc.
A unique feature of the city" vas
the newspaper called the Medora Cow
Boy, which was not under the mar
quis' control, but was established by
a tramp printer, and was content
with a shack for it's office.
On the long, sloping hill, across
the river and the railroad track, and
commanding a beautiful view of the
village, plant and station. the mar
Quis built his home, a large and ele-
CANT house of Is rooms.
Right across the village, a half mile
away, he built in the shadow OF the
giant butte a home for Mrs. Won Hoff-
man, a large brick house of eight
rooms, two stories in height, with a
hall passing through the entire lower
floor, and arranged in southern style.
perhaps like some pretty cottage in
the south of France, where the o
Hoffmans spent much OF their time.
1t was certainly not built for North
| Dakota, as its present occupant is