County of marker: Harding County
Location of marker: Canam Hwy (US-85/SD-20), Centennial Park, Buffalo
Marker erected: July 3, 2009
Marker erected by: Harding County Chamber of Commerce
Marker text:
Medora - Deadwood Stage Line
The Medora-Deadwood Stage Line was established by the Marquis DeMores, a French millionaire who, along with his bridge, Medora, came from France to New York in February of 1882. They located in Dakota Territory in April of 1883 at Medora, North Dakota, which he had named after his wife.
He engaged in the stock business and built a packing plant which was in business from October 1883 thru October 1886.
Another business venture was a stage and freight line between Medora and Deadwood, which was incorporated as "The Medora Stage and Forwarding Company. He also visited Washington, D.C. to promote interest in his line. He telegraphed back that a mail route had been established and the three or four post offices would be established at ranches along the line. The Company was formed with capital stock of $30,000.00 with 300 shares selling at $100.00 each, of which 290 were held by Marquis DeMores. A warehouse was completed in August 1885, and a side track, each costing about $6,000. Also purchased were 4 stage coaches, 150 head of horses and a complete line of coach harnesses.
Erasmus Deffebach was the first manager of the stage line and it was he who bought the horses and equipment ad located the route to Deadwood.
The Medora-Deadwood Stage Line started operations October 6, 1884. On the route, 15 stage stations were established for changing horses. There were eating accommodations at five of these stations. Each station had a stage tender's house, a barn, and a coral.
The stage stations located in this area were at: 1. Midway Springs, 2 miles south of Crooked Creek; 2. Alex Comeil Ranch on Bull Creek; 3. just south of the Grand River Bridge at Buffalo; 4. Clark's Fork Creek, near present Hwy 85, and 5. Macy's on the South Moreau (inside Butte Co.)
The stagecoach left Medora at 8:30 a.m. and would reach Deadwood the following day at 6:00 p.m., a distance of 215 miles. The schedule included three round trips each week. The horses were driven at a speed of about 6 mile per hour for a distance of 25 miles between changes. Part of the time a four-horse team was used and at other times only two horses.
The stage line employed a traveling blacksmith to shoe horses and repair coaches, a conductor, stage drivers, camp tenders, carpenter, wood supplier, and office representatives. Hay was purchased under a contract to stack it in the hay yards at the stations.
The stage line was discontinued in May 1885. The reason for the demise of the project was due to the following: first, it didn't receive the mail contract which had been promised because it was underbid by a Pierre businessman; second, Medora (being located in the North Dakota Badlands) population-wise was not as good an area as a route from Dickinson would have been, and third, underground mining replaced the placer gold mining which basically ended the gold prospecting in that area. This ultimately reduced the population of the Deadwood area which decreased the passenger traffic needed for the stage line to operate at a profit.