North Dakota
Road Closed: travel distance from Medora to the Petrified Forest has nearly tripled
MEDORA, N.D. — A recent road closure is requiring visitors to travel about three times the distance they did beforehand from Medora to the Petrified Forest trailhead. Some sources still reference a shorter route, but the National Park Service (NPS) is instructing visitors to the Petrified Forest to use exit 10 on Interstate 94 near Camels Hump Lake and urging visitors to “please use the approved legal route.”
The change follows a recent closure on Knutson Creek Road.
The Dickinson Press spoke with Lori Myers Elliott, who is the daughter and personal representative of Roger Myers who owns the land on which the closed portion of Knutson Creek Road is located. Elliott said liability risk and increased traffic led to efforts to close Knutson Creek Road and mentioned a traffic incident with an oil tanker last year.
During a special meeting of the Billings County Commission on Oct. 10, Commissioner Dean Rodne said “there is no easement on that portion of Knutson Creek Road.”
During the Billings County Commission meeting on Oct. 10, Mark ‘Olie’ Golberg, another area landowner, described incidents where visitors looking for the Petrified Forest have requested help from him after their vehicles have gotten stuck. Golberg also said during the meeting that traffic to the Petrified Forest has increased 20% in the past year.
The Billings County Commission also voted 2-1 during the special meeting to remove the county major collector (CMC) designation from the discussed portion of Knutson Creek Road, with commissioner Steven Klym dissenting.
The vote followed a lengthy discussion during the meeting of the road’s history, which included comments from the Billings County States Attorney Pat Weir on the North Dakota Century Code’s definition of public roads.
Billings County Sheriff Dean Wyckoff confirmed that some access to the closed portion of Knutson Creek Road is still available to emergency vehicles, saying any delay to emergency services created by the closure is “negligible.”
Directions for a shorter route to the Petrified Forest trailhead that included Knutson Creek Road listed a travel distance from Medora of approximately 9 miles, with an estimated 30-minute travel time. As of publication, alternate directions for the shorter route were publicly available via more than one source.
Directions to the Petrified Forest on Google Maps following the “approved legal route” from the NPS website list the distance of travel from Medora as about 31 miles. At time of publication, the NPS website listed an estimated travel time of 50 minutes.
RubyAnn Stiegelmeier / The Dickinson Press
The Petrified Forest in the south unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park contains the third largest concentration of petrified wood in the United States, according to the NPS website.
Nearby, the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library is scheduled to open July 4, 2026. The opening is expected to dramatically increase tourism and traffic to the town of Medora, the Theodore Roosevelt National Park and southwest North Dakota.
During a visit to the trailhead on the morning of Oct. 11, nearly a month after the final 2025 performance of the Medora Musical, Dickinson Press staff observed two vehicles parked at the trailhead parking lot.
Further information about the new route to the Petrified Forest Loop, including specific directions for the ‘approved legal route,’ can be found on the National Park Service (NPS) website.
RubyAnn Stiegelmeier / The Dickinson Press
HATTON, N.D. — Crews were fighting the grain elevator fire at Anchor Ingredients in Hatton on Wednesday, Nov. 5, for around seven hours.
There were two grain elevators at Anchor Ingredients that caught on fire, with one of them falling under a controlled collapse, with the fire spreading to the elevator.
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The Minnesota women’s basketball team is picking things up where they left them to end the 2024-25 season.
The reigning Women’s Basketball Invitational Tournament champions played host to the North Dakota Fighting Hawks on Tuesday night to open the new season and won, 91-47, at Williams Arena.
“Defensively, our young ladies played really, really hard,” head coach Dawn Plitzuweit said. “They were really disruptive. It was really fun to watch. And then on the offensive end, we didn’t make as many shots as we wanted to, but our offensive rebounding was absolutely outstanding.
“The energy really propelled us, and I thought this was a great way to open the season and get things started.”
The Gophers have high expectations after going 25-11 in 2024-25, the last five while winning the WBIT after being snubbed for an NCAA tournament bid. Minnesota struggled in Big Ten play, going 8-10, but was dominant against nonconference opponents, going 17-1.
While the challenges against other Big Ten teams are still a month out, they had a roster shake-up that provided new challenges for the foreseeable future.
Forward Mallory Heyer announced on social media last week that she was leaving the team and entering the transfer portal for ‘personal reasons.’ Heyer’s decision to leave was a shock to many on the team, but her departure led to other players being the stars on both sides of the ball in the season opener.
Senior guard Amaya Battle stepped up where Heyer was best, leading the team with 10 defensive rebounds, while freshman guard Makena Christian made a strong first impression, leading the way with 23 points and making 50% of her 3-point attempts.
The reigning Wisconsin Player of the Year was ranked as the best guard in the state last season, and her play on Tuesday showed 3,300-plus Gophers fans the excitement around their newest starter was well worth it.
“I thought she handled the emotions of playing in her first home contest at a really high level,” Plitzuweit said of Christian’s performance. “I think she’s someone who’s very calm and steady, anyway, but I thought she did some really good things on both end of the court.”
“I was excited to play with all my teammates,” Christian said. “Being in the Barn was really cool. I think the energy was really cool. But the main thing was I was really excited to play with my teammates.”
“Big shoutout to Amaya,” center Sophie Hart said. “Because 10 defensive rebounds, oh my gosh. She has really stepped up in that category. I mean, obviously tonight, but even in practice. So, I’d say it was a team effort.”
Hart scored 16 points and grabbed seven rebounds, and grad forward Finau Tonga added 14 points. She was 6 for 8 at the free throw line and corralled seven rebounds.
The Gophers are back in action at 7 p.m. Friday against Manhattan at Williams Arena.
Oregon State got all they could handle from the visiting North Dakota State Bison on Monday night, and it was a Josiah Lake drive-and-finish with under three seconds left that lifted the Beavers to a 67-65 victory on opening night.
Wayne Tinkle’s squad came out strong, bursting out to a 7-0 lead in the opening minutes. But the Bison were able to respond, jumping out to a 13-10 lead with 11:26 left in the first half. Oregon State was then able to reclaim the lead after a couple of Isaiah Sy three-point jumpers, pushing ahead by five points. The Bison would go on a 19-12 run to end the half, however, and the Beavers trailed 32-30 heading into the locker room.
The opening minutes of the second half saw multiple lead changes, with neither side able to gain much separation. After they fell behind 53-49, the Beavers went on a run, and found thesmelves ahead by six with just 5:49 left to play.
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But the Bison wouldn’t go away. Sparked by back-to-back dunks from Markhi Strickland, NDSU went on a quick 6-0 run to tie the game. A Dez White three-pointer put the Beavers back in front momentarily, but this lead quickly evaporated, and the Bison went up 65-64 with 2:17 remaining. Johan Munch hit one of two free throws on the following possession, tying the game at 65. Both teams came away with some stops on the defensive end, and the score remained deadlocked.
After grabbing a defensive rebound with 26 seconds left and the shot clock now off, the Beavers let the clock tick down as they set up their offense. With under five seconds to play, Josiah Lake pulled off a beautiful left-handed drive and finished at the rim, putting the Beavs ahead 67-65 with just two seconds on the clock.
But it wasn’t over yet. Inbounding from their own baseline, NDSU tried a football-style throw towards the sideline, and it was tipped out of play by a Beaver, giving the Bison one last chance to inbound the ball in OSU’s half. Guard Andy Stefonowicz was able to get off a three-point look at the buzzer, but it was a heavily-contested shot that came up well short, and Oregon State walked away with a two-point victory.
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The Beavers were fairly balanced in their scoring, as five different players reached double figures. Sophomore SF Isaiah Sy led the team in scoring, finishing with 12 points, five rebounds and two assists. Missouri State transfer Dez White was equally impressive. He had ten points on the night and also led the Beavers in assists with five. Junior guard Josiah Lake, who played all but five minutes, scored ten points and also grabbed eight rebounds, leading OSU in this category.
With the win, Oregon State improves to 12-0 in opening games under Wayne Tinkle.
The Beavers are back in action on Friday night, when they take on the University of Illinois Chicago at Gill Coliseum. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. PT
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