Custer National Forest

The Medora Ranger District contains 524,685 acres of National Grassland intermingled with approximately 723,354 acres of private and state land. The District offers many opportunities for outdoor recreation. The Medora Ranger District is the focal point. Medora has historic attractions and is close to the Theodore Roosevelt National Park, the Little Missouri River, and the Badlands.

As a cooperative project with the North Dakota Game and Fish Department and Theodore Roosevelt National Park, a wildlife and scenic tour of the Badlands has been developed through the Medora Ranger District. For the camper, the Forest Service has also developed a 37-unit campground at Buffalo Gap, approximately seven miles west of Medora on I-94; a five unit primitive campground at the Burning Coal Vein and Columnar Juniper area, approximately 30 miles south of Medora; and Whitetail Picnic Area, a 10-unit picnic ground west of Fairfield.

Hiking through the Badlands on the Medora Ranger District can be a more than memorable experience, even though there are no formal or maintained trails. Scenic wonders span for miles upon miles and can be traveled by foot or on horseback. There are thousands of acres of scattered juniper, ash, and cottonwood throughout the District, as well as 4,000 acres of Ponderosa Pine, over 600 of which are on federal land.

Wildlife
Opportunities to enjoy the wildlife of the area are abundant on the Medora Ranger District. Common on the district are mule and whitetail deer, antelope, sage and prairie grouse, pheasant, Hungarian partridge, waterfowl, and turkey. Bighorn sheep have been reintroduced and their numbers are steadily increasing. The Medora Ranger District has also worked in coordination with Ducks Unlimited on several projects to provide habitat for waterfowl and other wetland species. A variety of non-game prairie wildlife species is present as well, such as coyote, badger, fox, and prairie dogs. In addition to several species of falcons and hawks, the golden eagle is abundant in the area.

History
As far back as the late 1800's these lands were under private and corporate ownership. The early settlers, however, did not recognize the environmental limitations of this semi-arid and arid region. Because of this, the traditional ranching and farming methods which these pioneers practiced were beyond what the land could withstand. The accumulated effects of these practices, combined with the serious drought and insect problems faced in the 1930's resulted in these lands becoming part of the "dust bowl." Hundreds of thousands of acres were purchased by the federal government under the Bankhead-Jones Farm Tenant Act of 1937. The lands were initially administered by various agencies but when finally assigned to the Forest Service in 1953, they were integrated into local, private ranching operations by means of Grazing Associations.

The Medora Ranger District, the southern half of the Little Missouri National Grassland, has a vivid and varied history, including expeditions by General Sully and General Custer and several historic stage routes. Native American history abounds as evidenced by many Indian campsites, eagle pits, and buffalo jumps. Sod huts and other reminders of how the homesteaders struggled for survival may still be seen in areas on the District.

Several paleontological digs have occurred on the Medora Ranger District. A site found in the west central portion of the District is a discovery of major importance. The remains of a freshwater swamp are preserved here with early mammals, crocodiles, and turtles. Eocene and oligocene deposits are currently being investigated by researchers from Ohio State University and the University of North Dakota. These promising deposits have already yielded some prosimian (early primate) remains.

Resources
Most of the federal land is under a ten-year grazing agreement that grants to the Associations the responsibilities of ensuring proper grazing use of the land, maintenance of range improvements, and prevention of grazing trespass. The grazing agreements also assign fire suppression and control responsibilities to the grazing associations with cooperation from the Forest Service and rural fire organizations.

In addition to the archeological and grazing resources, the District has several mineral resources. Although there are reserves of lignite coal and uranium, the only active production at present is in oil exploration, with over 30 active oil fields on the District. Due to the high danger of hydrogen sulfide gas produced during oil production, we strongly discourage visitors from traveling to the oil well pads.