Classroom in the Badlands

     Yee-haw, Medora! I'm really starting to get into the swing of things out here. One of the main events  related to my co-op that I've been working on lately is Classroom in the Badlands. Classroom in the Badlands is an event that the Theodore Roosevelt Medora Foundation puts on in May for teachers and students across the state. Classes are invited to come to Medora and visit different historical and tourist sites for education and fun! K (main supervisor), T, and I are responsible for two main stops on the classes' tours: The Harold Schafer Center, and the Von Hoffman House. Yesterday, K and T were in Fargo promoting the Musical, so I was leading tours!

                                                                               Harold Schafer Heritage Center:

Harold Schafer was a North Dakotan business man who started the Gold Seal Company in the 1942. The Gold Seal Company manufactured products such as Gold Seal Floor Wax, Glass Wax, Snowy Bleach, and Mr. Bubble. In the 1960's he bought the Roughrider Hotel in Medora. He also started to buy other properties in town as well as the amphitheater in the Badlands where the production Ol' Four Eyes (where the Medora Musical would play later) was performed. He wanted to preserve the historical integrity and magic of Medora and its surroundings in the Badlands. In 1986, he sold the Gold Seal company and founded the non-profit Theodore Roosevelt Medora Foundation to continue the upkeep of Medora and the Medora Musical. He and his wife, Sheila, continued to come back to Medora and enjoyed the town and the joy it brought to visitors and residents. Harold passed away in 2001,  but not before he got to see the Center built in his name in 1995. Sheila still lives in Medora during the summer seasons, and Medora continues to prosper!

                                                                                     Von Hoffman House:

The Von Hoffman House was built in 1884 for Medora's (the Marquise de Mores) parents. It's made out of bricks, manufactured and masoned by Peter Book south of Medora. Mr. Book also made the bricks for the slaughterhouse, St. Mary's Church, the basement of the Chateau, and the faux front of the Hotel De Mores in town. The Baron and Baroness Von Hoffman did not actually stay in this house for long periods of time. In fact, the Baroness is reported to visited this house very few times, even though she designed and commissioned it. A local family from Medora, the Foleys, lived in the house from the 1890's until 1963. It eventually became the Medora Doll House Museum and was owned by TRMF. The house has been restored so that the rooms on the first floor reflect living quarters with a bedroom, parlor, library, dining room, and kitchen, and the upstairs is a gallery filled with items related to Joe Ferris, Theodore Roosevelt, and 'Dutch' Zeigler.  

Gettin' to Work!

       So, this is my second real day of work! After I checked in on Monday, I was told to report to the Foundation office at 8 am the next day. I am working on amp(hitheater) crew until the season opens. I really like it! We do a lot of tough work, but as Theodore Roosevelt said, "Ours was the glory of work and the joy of living". Today we worked with the maintenance crew to take the cover off the escalator. That was a crazy job, but very rewarding. There is a giant outdoor escalator at the amphitheater and in the winter it needs to be covered so that the weather doesn't affect it. Our job was to take off the covering which is corrugated metal panels with insulation and attached with more metal and wire. It involved a lot of carrying, pushing, and stacking!

      After lunch, I worked with T (my supervisor) on some of my internship duties. There was a group of elementary kids coming to town, so we were supposed to give them tours of the Harold Schafer center and the Von Hoffman House. Well....the kids didn't come. So I learned what to do during tours and got to watch the Harold Schafer video. I also started reading Medora- Boom, Bust, and Resurrection by Rolf Sletten. It was published last year, and covers a lot of history which is important for my position and for anyone who wants to learn more about Medora! I did some more reading in the Von Hoffman house and called it a day. 

       All in all, a fairly productive day. I'll have to see how the rest of the week goes! 

Preparation

   My co-op starts in 2 days, so I decided I'd better get ready! I have a summer position at Medora, North Dakota that will also earn me co-op credit at college. The purpose of this blog is to record my day-to-day experiences and the skills I develop in living history and public speaking. I will be working on different projects throughout the summer, which I will know more about when I start on Monday!

   One of the main aspects of my position is knowing about the history of Medora, and being able to share that knowledge with others. I decided (last minute as always) to do some research. That way, when someone asks me when the city was founded, or why it was named Medora, I will be able to answer (1883 and for the founder's wife- if you were wondering).

Here are the websites I looked at for information- take a look:
http://www.medora.com/
http://www.medorand.com/history/timeline/
http://www.medorand.com/attractions/?409
http://www.history.nd.gov/mediaroom/footsteps.html

   There are many more resources to draw upon, but these were the websites I first stumbled upon. I already have a basic idea of the history of Medora from numerous visits in the past, but it's definitely a good idea to brush up on that information. I'm guessing that a strong learning curve will be important as well! Ok, wish me luck- I'm off to stuff my brain with more facts!