A Train Stop For Medora

 

 

A train station modeled on the original in Medora, North Dakota. Could it actually be a functioning station someday?

On a trip back from Bismarck, I stopped in Medora to fill up with gas. Next to the gas station is a train station modeled on the the original that existed when the regions most famous resident, Teddy Roosevelt hung around town. In Roosevelt's day, taking the train was the only way to go from Medora to Bismarck with speed. In fact, it was just as fast as the trip as I had just driven. To have a train return as is proposed with a revitalization of the Northwest Hiawatha route that follows the old Northern Pacific (now BNSF) line along I-94 through North Dakota and Montana would be great. It would not only give me another option to get from Medora to other places, it would allow people to get to Medora, Theodore Roosevelt National Park and the new Roosevelt Presidential Library the way Roosevelt himself did. It would also give a town that suffers to get visitors half the year, a way for people to stop and spend a day and move on without having to drive through ice and storm to get there. The option of flying to Bismarck or Dickinson and then driving isn't realistic for all but the most hardy travelers. A rail stop could do wonders for the economy of the town and the region.

Original rail stops on the map around the time of Teddy Rooselvelt.

I think an argument could be made for the Northwest Hiawatha Line to stop in Medora, North Dakota. Even though it didn't stop during the Hiawatha's run during the 1970's, it was a regular stop in that earlier age around which the modern tourist industry of the region is built. The Hiawatha brochure at the time devoted a whole paragraph to the town: "The Montana-North Dakota border is between Glen-dive and Dickinson. Here are the famous North Dakota Badlands. The Amtrak route passes through Medora. head-quarters of the Theodore Roosevelt National Park,named in honor of the President who ranched there in his youth (1883-86)"

 There is precedent for stopping in little historic towns, in that the Empire Builder that runs a hundred miles north stops in Essex, Montana within Glacier Park. It is a town that consists of the Izaak Walton Inn and that is about it. I think a similar case could be made for stopping in Medora to help make the area attractions more of a year round destinations. For one, the best hiking I've ever done on the Maah Daah Hey and other area trails has been in October/November and March/April, months when getting to and from ND by car or even plane can be questionable. The train has to slow down through the badlands anyway and a quick stop of a few minutes to drop off and take on passengers would do wonders for access and the local economy.