MEDORA, N.D. — With just a week until Medora the Musical, the town of Medora is buzzing with activity as the snow melts and shops and restaurants thrive. This year, Badlands Express Stagecoach and Pony Rides LLC are reviving an old tradition, giving visitors a unique opportunity to get a glimpse into the past.
Two years ago, Eli Waddington and his brother Isaac set out on a journey to re-create the Old West. They bought a stagecoach with dreams of not only operating it, but preserving a fading history. “We’ve been taking care of horses since we were 18 or 20 years old,” Waddington explains. “We train horses for the public, we train them ourselves, we raise them and we sell them. We’ve always wanted to operate a stagecoach.”
When the brothers discovered that their local stagecoach line had stopped operating, their ambition to revive it was sparked: “We wanted to keep it going. Stagecoaches are a fading part of history that can easily be forgotten unless someone makes it known,” Waddington said.
The Waddingtons’ horse team is made up of Haflingers, originally bred on the mountainside of Austria, known for their strength and speed. “He’s quite a horse, very strong for his size and pretty fast,” Eli said, adding that his average trot speed is 10 to 12 miles per hour.
Badlands Express Stagecoach and Pony Rides LLC is a company run by Eli and Isaac Waddington that offers authentic stagecoach tours in Medora, North Dakota. The tours are a historical experience that shows how people traveled in the Old West. The tours also incorporate an element of adventure, such as the occasional stagecoach robbery, to add to the authenticity and excitement of the tours. The Waddingtons’ mission is to preserve and celebrate western culture through stagecoach trips that are family friendly, educational and fun.
Written for Badlands Express Stagecoach and Pony Rides LLC.
Eli’s team also includes his brother Isaac and neighbor Grady Bach. They currently train horses for clients about three miles from Amidon. The Waddingtons worked hard to secure the contracts and insurance needed to operate the stagecoach. “They were really welcoming and happy to have the stagecoach. It took about three months to get the insurance, but the historical society was great to work with,” Eli said.
The official launch of the Stagecoach Ride took place on a special day when guests came from the Canadian border. Eli recalled one particularly memorable piece of feedback: “A 10-year-old girl said this was better than any fair ride. The kids didn’t want to get off.”
The Waddingtons are also working on restoring an 1861 passenger car that they hope to put into service soon. “It’s pretty authentic – the size and everything is original, but it’s over 100 years old so of course there are parts that need replacing,” Eli explains. The car was purchased from a dealer in Fargo.
If demand is high, Eli envisions running both stagecoaches: “Maybe we’ll run them on weekends, or just park one to attract attention. The other one can fit more people and is a lot cooler because it’s the real thing,” he said.
For Eli, preserving the stagecoach tradition is a way to honor the past. “A lot of people forget how hard life was in the old days and don’t appreciate how easy life is now. Horses built the country for us. Without horses we would have no transportation and no energy,” Eli emphasized.
The Waddingtons’ mission is clear: to capture the spirit of the Old West by offering an authentic, family-friendly stagecoach ride experience. “We want to give people a great experience with horses and Western culture,” says Eli.
The approximately 25-minute stagecoach ride begins at Chateau des Maures and travels along quiet, winding dirt roads through the trees along the Little Missouri River and into the Badlands. Passengers aboard a stagecoach get a firsthand experience of how people traveled in the Old West.
As past passengers have often experienced, from time to time the stage is robbed and outlaws strike unexpectedly. If you would like to take part in this exciting event, please contact us for more information.
Adults: $50.00, Children 15 and under: $25.00, Children 5 and under: FREE, 50% off children’s rates on Wednesdays!
Tickets can be purchased at Chateau Des Maures State Historic Park: Chateau Des Maures State Historical Society 3426 Chateau Road Medora, ND 58645
Monday: 1:30pm – 6:30pm Tuesday – Saturday: 10:30am – 2:30pm, 3:30pm – 6:30pm Sunday: Closed
Château de Mores:
Phone: (701) 623-4355Email: shschateau@nd.gov
Badlands Express Stagecoach and Pony Rides LLC:
Eli Waddington: (701) 390-4359Isaac Waddington: (701) 509-9021Email: badlandsexpressstagecoachline@gmail.com
For more information or to book a ride, visit TipTopHorsemanship.com or contact the Chateau.
Manny is a journalist with a diverse background in communications. Born and raised in El Paso, Texas, he earned his degree in the Dallas-Fort Worth area before moving to New York City, where he worked as a reporter for ethnic media outlets, covering local issues and immigration news. Long dedicated to sensitive reporting, Manny’s journalistic background has led him to Dickinson, where he takes on the role of hard news reporter.
