Details

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Collection Summary
Collection: 00042 - Marquis de Mores Photograph Collection
Folder: 0001
Item: 00028
Title: St Mary's Catholic Church in the town of Medora
Date: Circa 1930
Inscription/Marks: On the back: 0042-28.
Summary: Standing beneath the cliffs of the Badlands in the town of Medora, North Dakota is the Catholic Church, St. Mary's. This is a straight-forward brick church, rectangular in shape. It is a wood-frame building, clad in brick made of native clay. Four pointed-arch windows are set in the southern wall, and an entry door is in the gable end. Above the door is a pointed arch shallow recess in the brick. A wooden steeple has four openings in the belfry, and has a small, simple cross on top. There is a neglected look to the structure, and it is surrounded by a barbed-wire fence. As the site was more or less abandoned for years after 1886, it seems likely this image was taken during a period of renewed activity in Medora. The Marquise de Mores had this Catholic church built for the residents of Medora in 1884. The completed church was blessed on November 2, 1884, and the church's first baptism and wedding both took place on December 30. Originally developed by the Marquis De Mores, who built a meat-packing plant, bought cattle and land, and employed cowboys and workers. For three years Medora hummed with activity; the de Mores family built houses, businesses, and this Catholic church. The Marquis' many enterprises included cattle ranches, sheep ranches, and the Medora-Deadwood Stagecoach line. When the Marquis' meat-packing scheme collapsed in 1886, his commercial empire did as well. The area was subject to work by the CCC in the 1930s, and taken over by the State Historical Society in the 1940s.
Red ID: PH_I_144235 Image ID: 105257 Image Notes: 00042-00028

Collection: 00042 Digitized Images from Collection
Title: Marquis de Mores Photograph Collection
Date: Circa 1860-1960

Summary: An artificial collection from a variety of sources, the collection includes images of family and businesses owned by Marquis de Mores, primarily in Medora, ND and in France. Includes prints, negatives, and albums.

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