The Bismarck tribune., 1921-12-06
DE M0RES' NAME
IS LINKED WITH
SHERIDAN HOUSE
Dashing Frenchman Was FIRE.
quent Guest at Famous
Hotel in Pioneer Days
OLD MENU IS FOUND
Shows Nature of Banquet Put
Up For Capital Commission
Entertainment in 1883

Part of the romance invested around
the Sheridan House here was due to
the presence in this part of the coun-
try of the Marquis De Mories or
Mores. A son Of the Duchess de
Valambrossa, he came to North Da-
kota in the days of the cattlemen.
Considered strange in that day by the
people who knew little Of the French,
he now is looked upon as a man
ahead of his times. His wife was
Medora Won Hoffman Of New York,
daughter of one of New York's early
financiers. The town OF Medora, far
ther west on the Northern Pacific
stamps her name upon the history OF
the state while De Mores holds record
of her husband The Frenchman'S
grazing lands were close to the points
where the two towns were located.
DeMores is credited with having es-
tablished the first plant for the kill
ing of beef cattle and the shipping OF
chilled meats in refrigerator cars.
His experience was not financially
successful. ..,.
DeMores was in the Bad Lands at
the time when Theodore Roosevelt,
then youngster just out of college,
was spending his summers there.
Roosevelt numbered his cattle by the
hundreds, and DeMores and his asso-
ciates blythe thousands, some herds
of thirty thousand roaming the hills
with the six to eight hundred OF the
embryonic president. One OF the
stories of the bad lands is that in one
of the roundups, Roosevelt asked to
be assigned >to a place as worker.
His request was granted but the as
signment was at the far outskirt OF
the ranges, as far as possible from
the scene Of actual action. The
roundup foreman who. made the as
signment lived to watch the discarded
cowboy assume the duties of presi-
dent, and in fact still is active in the
life of the cattle country.
Filled With Tragedy.
DeMores life has been filled with
tragedy. His experiences in the west
were cut short when he was involved
in the shooting of cowboy, was held
in Jail here for time and finally re-
leased. During these days his wife
was constant visitor at the Jail, and
her headquarters were at the hotel
which was but short distance away
DeMores later returned to France
where he was distantly involved in
the Rreyfus affair, then turned to the
life of pioneer again in French AT
,;an fn11nwinu fnvh1 1Qnt
career there.
Politics Of the territory and the
state centered for many years in the
Sheridan House. When it was build
ed, the Dakotahs were one vast ter"
ritory with the capitol at Yankton,
now in South Dakota. Agitation was
started to bring the capital nearer
the territorial center Of the vast dis
trict. The Sheridan House and the
people of Bismarck entertained
commission appointed to relocate the
capitol on May %, 1883. This com
mission was empowered to select the
new capitol city by the territorial leg
islature Entertainment was the or
der of the day and from a satin book
let which graced the table as menu
cards, it is found that the members Of
the commission Jared in part as fol-
lows:
Meats: Spring Lamb. Loin Of
Prime Beef. Tame Goose. Young
Pig. Tenderloin Steak. Shoulder of
Venison Loin Of Mountain Sheep,
Wild Goose. Roast Pigeon, Quail on
Toast. Potted Pigeon, Pluver on
Toast. New Brunswick Salmon.
Broiled Shad Brook Trout.
Needless to say, Bismarck was Sc
lected as the territorial capital and
the first meeting here Of the terri
torial legislature ewas in 1885. The
Sheridan House was the center of the
session life and most of the import
ant questions to be considered were
settled in private rooms within its
boarded sides. Four years later the
state was set apart and the interest
ing stage of territorial government
was at an end.
Political Headquarters.
The change in the government OF
North Dakota from territory to state
did not change the Sheridan House
status as the political headquarters.
The building of the state capitol, a