Stables were important in early Medora, serving the primary means of local transportation: horseback and horse-drawn vehicles.Livery stables offered horses, teams and wagons for hire. These stables were built in conjunction with hotels so guests' horses would have a place to stay.Liveries were a study in contradiction. Besides transportation services they also offered hay, grain, coal and wood. They were also a source of stench, noise and vermin.The Medora Livery Stable, conveniently located for ranchers coming to town on business, was constructed in the early 1900s and it relied on the patronage of guests staying at the Metropolitan Hotel (now the Rough Riders Hotel) located several doors to the east.With the introduction of the automobile, the livery stable received less use but the Medora Livery Stable hung on until the 1940s.Liveries often acted as social centers. The livery was nicknamed by locals the Medora Country Club. In addition to dealing cattle, ranchers enjoyed blackjack and five-card stud. Legend says that fortunes were lost and won in the back room of Medora's Livery Barn. (Marker Number 19.)
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