Chateau de Mores
Encyclopedia
The Chateau de Mores is a historic home built by the Marquis de Mores
in 1883 as a hunting lodge and summer home for his family and guests. The home is now part of the 128 acre (0.51799808 km²) Chateau de Mores State Historic Site, which also includes Chimney Park and de Mores Memorial Park, in Medora, North Dakota
.
was a French aristocrat
and entrepreneur
who came to the Dakota badlands in 1883 to establish a new kind of cattle
operation. He planned to slaughter and cold pack
his cattle and ship it east in refrigerated rail cars
. The slaughterhouse
was built in the town which the Marquis founded and named for his wife, Medora. He built many structures in the town for those he employed in his operations, including St. Mary's Catholic Church. For three years the small town bustled, but in 1886 the operation collapsed due to drought
, competition from meat packers back east, and the Marquis' own lack of business experience and the plant was abandoned. The Marquis and his family returned to Europe, but left behind a small town rife with the flavor and romanticism of the American Old West
.
The chateau was occupied seasonally by the family for only three years from 1883-1886. During the harsh winter months they would go to France
, returning again in spring. After 1886 the Marquis visited the chateau twice, in 1887 and 1889, while Medora and their children visited only once more, after the Marquis' death, in 1903.
From this time on the house was maintained by caretakers
. They would ready the house for occupation in the spring but the family never returned. The eldest son gave the caretakers permission to operate the chateau as a boarding house
in 1921. During this period the house suffered from theft and lack of maintenance.
The home and the land on which it sat was given to the state of North Dakota
in 1936 on the condition that it be maintained and opened to the public. It was restored from 1937-1941 by the Civilian Conservation Corps
and again in 1995.
. It is open to the public with guided tours available. Its features include reproduced carpet
s and wallpaper
and period furniture. A permanent exhibit focuses on the Marquis de Mores, who built the house, and changing exhibit galleries include displays of art, culture and history.
but was given the name by locals. While rough by aristocratic standards it was considerably more luxurious than most contemporary homes built by Dakota settlers, which were mostly constructed of sod
or logs
.
Marquis de Mores
Marquis de Morès was a famous duelist, frontier ranchman in the Badlands of Dakota Territory during the final years of the American Old West era, a railroad pioneer in Vietnam, and an anti-Semitic politician in his native France....
in 1883 as a hunting lodge and summer home for his family and guests. The home is now part of the 128 acre (0.51799808 km²) Chateau de Mores State Historic Site, which also includes Chimney Park and de Mores Memorial Park, in Medora, North Dakota
Medora, North Dakota
In the city the population was spread out with 26.0% under the age of 18, 4.0% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 26.0% from 45 to 64, and 15.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 96.1 males...
.
History
The MarquisMarquis
Marquis is a French and Scottish title of nobility. The English equivalent is Marquess, while in German, it is Markgraf.It may also refer to:Persons:...
was a French aristocrat
Aristocracy (class)
The aristocracy are people considered to be in the highest social class in a society which has or once had a political system of Aristocracy. Aristocrats possess hereditary titles granted by a monarch, which once granted them feudal or legal privileges, or deriving, as in Ancient Greece and India,...
and entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
who came to the Dakota badlands in 1883 to establish a new kind of cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
operation. He planned to slaughter and cold pack
Meat packing industry
The meat packing industry handles the slaughtering, processing, packaging, and distribution of animals such as cattle, pigs, sheep and other livestock...
his cattle and ship it east in refrigerated rail cars
Refrigerator car
A refrigerator car is a refrigerated boxcar , a piece of railroad rolling stock designed to carry perishable freight at specific temperatures. Refrigerator cars differ from simple insulated boxcars and ventilated boxcars , neither of which are fitted with cooling apparatus...
. The slaughterhouse
Slaughterhouse
A slaughterhouse or abattoir is a facility where animals are killed for consumption as food products.Approximately 45-50% of the animal can be turned into edible products...
was built in the town which the Marquis founded and named for his wife, Medora. He built many structures in the town for those he employed in his operations, including St. Mary's Catholic Church. For three years the small town bustled, but in 1886 the operation collapsed due to drought
Drought
A drought is an extended period of months or years when a region notes a deficiency in its water supply. Generally, this occurs when a region receives consistently below average precipitation. It can have a substantial impact on the ecosystem and agriculture of the affected region...
, competition from meat packers back east, and the Marquis' own lack of business experience and the plant was abandoned. The Marquis and his family returned to Europe, but left behind a small town rife with the flavor and romanticism of the American Old West
American Old West
The American Old West, or the Wild West, comprises the history, geography, people, lore, and cultural expression of life in the Western United States, most often referring to the latter half of the 19th century, between the American Civil War and the end of the century...
.
The chateau was occupied seasonally by the family for only three years from 1883-1886. During the harsh winter months they would go to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, returning again in spring. After 1886 the Marquis visited the chateau twice, in 1887 and 1889, while Medora and their children visited only once more, after the Marquis' death, in 1903.
From this time on the house was maintained by caretakers
Property caretaker
A Property caretaker is a person, group or organization that cares for real estate for trade or financial compensation, and sometimes as a barter for rent-free living accommodations...
. They would ready the house for occupation in the spring but the family never returned. The eldest son gave the caretakers permission to operate the chateau as a boarding house
Boarding house
A boarding house, is a house in which lodgers rent one or more rooms for one or more nights, and sometimes for extended periods of weeks, months and years. The common parts of the house are maintained, and some services, such as laundry and cleaning, may be supplied. They normally provide "bed...
in 1921. During this period the house suffered from theft and lack of maintenance.
The home and the land on which it sat was given to the state of North Dakota
North Dakota
North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
in 1936 on the condition that it be maintained and opened to the public. It was restored from 1937-1941 by the Civilian Conservation Corps
Civilian Conservation Corps
The Civilian Conservation Corps was a public work relief program that operated from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men from relief families, ages 18–25. A part of the New Deal of President Franklin D...
and again in 1995.
Museum
The Chateau de Mores is currently operated as a museum by the State Historical Society of North DakotaState Historical Society of North Dakota
The State Historical Society of North Dakota is an agency that preserves and presents history through museums and historic sites in the state of North Dakota...
. It is open to the public with guided tours available. Its features include reproduced carpet
Carpet
A carpet is a textile floor covering consisting of an upper layer of "pile" attached to a backing. The pile is generally either made from wool or a manmade fibre such as polypropylene,nylon or polyester and usually consists of twisted tufts which are often heat-treated to maintain their...
s and wallpaper
Wallpaper
Wallpaper is a kind of material used to cover and decorate the interior walls of homes, offices, and other buildings; it is one aspect of interior decoration. It is usually sold in rolls and is put onto a wall using wallpaper paste...
and period furniture. A permanent exhibit focuses on the Marquis de Mores, who built the house, and changing exhibit galleries include displays of art, culture and history.
Architecture
The chateau itself is a two story 26-room wood frame building. The house is not a true châteauChâteau
A château is a manor house or residence of the lord of the manor or a country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally—and still most frequently—in French-speaking regions...
but was given the name by locals. While rough by aristocratic standards it was considerably more luxurious than most contemporary homes built by Dakota settlers, which were mostly constructed of sod
Sod house
The sod house or "soddy" was a corollary to the log cabin during frontier settlement of Canada and the United States. The prairie lacked standard building materials such as wood or stone; however, sod from thickly-rooted prairie grass was abundant...
or logs
Log home
A log home is structurally identical to a log cabin...
.
External links
- Chateau de Mores State Historic Site - State Historical Society of North Dakota
- City of Medora official website
- Antonio Areddu. Il marchesato di Mores. Le origini, il duca dell´Asinara, le lotte antifeudali, l´abolizione del feudo e le vicende del marquis de Morès, Condaghes , Cagliari 2011