The Burning Hills Amphitheater was carved out of the side of the badlands in Burning Gulch by local volunteers, cast members and boys from the Home on the Range Ranch in 1958 one mile west of Medora. It was built for the production of Ol' Four-Eyes, to help celebrate Theodore Roosevelt's 100th birthday. Ol' Four-Eyes was a dramatic retelling of Roosevelt's life in the North Dakota Badlands as a "Rough Rider" cowboy during the 1880s. Thirty of the thirty-three performances were sold out. The original amphitheater seated between 1,000, and 1,200 people. It was constructed of wooden benches on the hillside with rustic buildings that formed a set around the stage. The natural acoustics of the hillside meant that no sound system would be needed.
The show was replaced by Teddy Roosevelt Rides Again for 1963 and 1964 due to waing interest in the original show and shut down after the 1964 season. In 1965 North Dakota entrepreneur Harold Schafer purchased the amphitheater and began a restoration project, that included revising the show and recruiting new talent. The result is a fast-moving mix of singing, dancing, variety acts, dramatic scenes, horses, riders, wagons, and stunt men shooting, fighting and falling from large rocks. The show was called the Medora Musical and still runs today from early June to the first Sunday in September. The natural bowl of the land provides excellent acoustics and majestic views for the Medora Musical.
In 1986 the Schafer family and the Gold Seal company donated their share in Medora to the Theodore Roosevelt Medora Foundation (TRMF). The foundation maintains the amphitheater and historical properties. The efforts of TRMF and many independent business people have helped make Medora one of the premier family entertainment destinations in the country. In 1991, the amphitheatre received a $4.1 million facelift which enlarged the seating to 2,863, built new stage, installed escalators, and a wheelchair ramp. The new Burning Hills Amphitheater was completed in 1992 with the bolting in of the new seats. Additional construction was completed in 1997 and in 2005 another renovation was made to the sets and the stage. In 2021 a new elevator was installed to make the site avalible for the mobility and sensory challenged.
This location is accessible all year around. Enjoy all the historic information signs and views from this location.
TO CLAIM THIS FIND: Take a picture of yourself or your GPS or a personal item in front of the MEDORA hill letters in the bacground at the posted coordinates and include it with your log.
Logs that do not meet the requirements will be deleted after 48 hours. Happy caching!
Virtual Rewards 3.0 - 2022-2023
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between March 1, 2022 and March 1, 2023. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 3.0 on the Geocaching Blog.