We love finding old photos and doing our best to locate the scene so we can duplicate the shot. When the weather was warm enough for a picnic, we headed to the East Entrance of the South Unit of the Theodore Roosevelt National Park. It’s a short jaunt, through a prairie dog town. Lining up the photo we printed out from the National Park Service, we were able to recreate the shot.
There was one way into the Theodore Roosevelt National Park South Unit in the late 50s. From a winding, hilly Highway 10 northeast of Medora, people could enter the park from the east.
The East Entrance is still there, but only as a landmark, and accessible only by a short trail, less than one-mile-long through a prairie dog town.
We discovered that when we lined up this shot, we were very nearly on the old roadbed of Highway 10 that used to wrap around the hills and valleys.
If you want a quick hike without much effort, the East Entrance Trail will lead you through the prairie dog town to the old entrance and back to your car in about 30 minutes. Of course, you can use the short trail as a jumping-off point to go explore the region, climb some hills and see the view. We did.
Do you remember the old rodeo days? That’s the topic of this “then and now?” The Killdeer Rodeo?
Peaceful Valley Ranch is another “then and now” image comparison from the Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
Here’s a “then and now,”A historic church building was moved to be preserved, otherwise it would be under water.
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That short is on our list! Thanks for the story.
Deb, feel free to wander the region...and watch out for the prairie dogs! They'll laugh at you -- or whatever that is they do to passing humans. ;-)
The Memorial Congregational Church was destroyed by an arsonist earlier this year. :-( This piece with it's additional links was written about a year before the fire, so I'm sure you know that. Just thought your readers might like to know that it's no longer there. The cemetery is still there, though.
Hi Janine, yes, that is a tragic event. We wrote about that event here:
https://www.beautifulbadlandsnd.com/hearts-broken-and-memories-lost-by-arsonist-burning-elbowoods-church/