Rough Rider Review 1-800-MEDORA-1 May 2008
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Rough Rider Review 1-800-MEDORA-1 May 2008 www.medora.com from Gary Leppart’s book Medora and Theodore Roosevelt What’s New in Medora? National Park. The Spirit of Work Quarters will also be completed by Lots! June 1. It is a $1.3 million 16-unit facility where Medora Randy Hatzenbuhler volunteers will stay during their volunteer service. This President most-needed, long-awaited building is a testament to the We love spring! The phones begin to ring as people make hundreds of generous and dedicated people who are vital plans for a Medora trip. There are certain questions you to our operations in Medora. come to expect, because people are interested. We have Regarding gas prices, are we worried? Sure, we think been hearing a lot of “What’s new for this year?” We’ve about it, but we realize it is also been hearing “Are far better to concentrate on you worried about gas what we can control. Our prices?” I’ll answer focus is on making sure the the first question – it is Medora Musical will be a more fun and exciting! show worthy of a 50 year celebration; the Bully Pulpit What’s new? Golf Course continues to Plenty - start at the be one of the best golf amphitheatre. The experiences anywhere; new Medora Musical visitors have great dining Welcome Center will choices; and we have special greet you when you arrive at the show in 2008. The $1 events to commemorate TR’s 150th birthday and the million facility is filled with images and history of the town’s 125th. Burning Hills Amphitheatre and the productions there since 1958. You can also do some shopping and pick up your We’d prefer gas to be $2/gallon. Can we look to TR for tickets for the show and Pitchfork Steak Fondue dinner. a solution? As the acclaimed father of conservation in On stage you will be treated to some of the most popular America, a great family man, he would certaintly want specialty acts we have ever had in Medora. We are families to enjoy all our majestic badlands have to offer pleased to welcome Job Christianson to the cast. Job is while still being concerned about energy. I’ll take liberty a North Dakota native who has been in great productions and offer a TR recommendation to help you save on fuel around the world. People from the Red River Valley know costs: reduce your speed from 75 to 69; and make sure his amazing voice well. We are also celebrating the 50th your car is full of people who will share the fuel bill. The anniversary of the first show at the theatre (June 30, 1958) cost to get to Medora will be less than previous years and and expect this show to be the best ever! your risk of getting a speeding ticket goes away (there is Downtown, you’ll find a new place to pick up and purchase a presumed natural tendency to speed when traveling to all your tickets at the Ticket Junction. It’s the great looking Medora; people tend to drive slower when they have to western building at the west end of Pacific Avenue. We’ve leave). fixed it up and made it our new downtown box office and We are looking forward to a great 2008 season. Give us added some cool shopping areas to the space. The Harold a call @ 1-800-633-6721 or visit www.medora.com for Schafer Heritage Center will no longer be a box office, information. Hope to see you in Medora. but there will be a wonderful photo exhibit celebrating Medora’s 125th anniversary; the exhibit features photos history, but will also offer the Smithsonian Institute’s A Monumental Year “Between Fences” traveling exhibit for a good portion for Medora of the summer. • To honor Theodore Roosevelt’s 150th Wade Westin birthday and to celebrate the 125th anniversary Marketing & PR Director of his first arrival to the North Dakota Badlands, the Theodore Roosevelt Medora Foundation We’re celebrating 325 years of real western fun in is planning a monumental event on Saturday, Medora this summer. It’s the 50th Anniversary of the September 13 – Legendary Theodore Roosevelt. Burning Hills Amphitheatre, the 125th Anniversary Clay Jenkinson, noted historian and author, will be of the City of Medora, and the 150th Anniversary portraying Theodore Roosevelt at the Burning Hills of Theodore Roosevelt’s birthday – 325 years! Big Amphitheatre – bringing to life stories of TR’s time events will commemorate these anniversaries. in the North Dakota Badlands. Theodore Roosevelt was instrumental in helping conserve the cowboy • June 30th will mark 50 years of outstanding culture of the American West. So as an added extra entertainment in one of America’s most beautiful treat, Michael Martin Murphy will intertwine old-time amphitheatres. A special ribbon cutting is planned, cowboy music and poetry – along with some of his top along with a live news broadcast by KFYR-TV/NBC hits – with Clay’s fascinating historical interpretation. North Dakota News from the amphitheatre. The event will finish off with an old-fashioned, buffalo pit barbeque at the Tjaden Terrace. • In 1883, 125 years ago, the Marquis de Mores founded the town of Medora. The Chateau de These and other fun events are noted in the 2008 Mores State Historic Site opened its new interpretive Medora Visitors Guide, and details are on our center April 25, and it not only depicts Medora’s website, www.medora.com. What’s New? That’s the question we hear most often this time of year. Well, here you go! NEW! Medora Musical Welcome Center - Museum, Gift Shop and Ticket Office on Amphitheatre Hill NEW! Spirit of Work Quarters - Headquarters for our 400 Volunteers NEW! Ticket Junction - Downtown Shopping Center and Centralized Ticket Counter NEW! Historical Medora Photo Gallery - Gary Leppart exhibit at the Harold Schafer Heritage Center NEW! Job Christianson at the Medora Musical - North Dakotan returns from Broadway to co-host 2008 show TR 150th Medora 125th BHA 50th Page 2 Under Harold’s Hat Sharing information about Harold Schafer and his vision and ideas for Medora. Jim Fuglie Development Director And then there’s quite a long list of graduates of what was In a back room at the Harold Schafer Heritage Center then the State Training School in in Medora are rows of file cabinets full of Harold’s Mandan, for whom Harold paid college tuition to help personal papers. It’s a treasure trove of history. get them back on track in life. Sheila has shared a document that was never included in those cabinets. Sheila came across it I added up the amount. It came to just over $150,000 at home recently and asked me to get it filed, and I between 1955 and 1970. That was a lot of money in agreed to do that, because it is worth saving. those days. And that’s only what Erma kept track of! There were likely thousands more dollars that came It’s a list, covering the time period 1955 to 1970, of out of Harold’s pocket that no one ever knew about. names of young people who received help going to The document is filed now “Under Harold’s Hat,” in an college from Harold, and the amounts they received. obscure corner of a filing cabinet. If your name is on It’s a fascinating list. Now, I suspect that Harold did the list, your secret is safe. not ask this list to be made. I suspect it was done without Harold’s knowledge. I suspect Harold really Harold’s philanthropy was legendary. Tom Kleppe, didn’t want to know how much he gave away. I also Harold’s first bookkeeper at Gold Seal and later suspect Erma, his secretary, who likely wrote out the president of the company, said once “My job was to checks for Harold to sign, kept the list. I’m glad she keep Harold Schafer rich.” Important, because Harold did. seemed to give money away as fast as it came in. Harold’s greatest gift, of course, was Medora. Harold There are names many would recognize on this list. gave Medora to the people of North Dakota, through A future Bismarck mayor. An the Theodore Roosevelt Medora Foundation. The attorney from Bismarck. A Foundation continues Harold’s giving high-ranking North Dakota tradition today. communications company executive. State legislators. Each year, many of our summer A successful Mandan High employees receive college School coach. A dentist. scholarships. Like Harold, we’re A veterinarian. Teachers. investing in North Dakota’s future. Farmers. Rodeo cowboys. Scholarship funds come from And those are just the names proceeds of the Rod Tjaden Memorial I recognized. I bet if I Googled Golf tournament, held each year in everyone on the list, I’d June at the Bully Pulpit Golf Course, find even more prominent and from gifts from friends of Medora. Americans. Your gifts to our scholarship fund will be deeply appreciated by the students who receive them. And you’ll help carry on Harold’s tradition. Harold and Sheila Schafer Page 3 Panama Canal Cruise Jim Fuglie by about two thirds of the Ms. Maasdam’s 1200 Development Director guests the day before the canal transit, was there on the deck in his white linen suit and Panama hat to Breakfast on the Pacific Ocean. Supper on the tell us about the days Roosevelt actually spent in the Atlantic. That’s how about 140 friends of Medora Canal Zone in 1906.