![]() A Kiowa story, for example, says that the tower was once a tree. There are many legends that account for the landmark’s unusual appearance. Thus the “Devils Tower” moniker is particularly offensive to Indians, because this is actually a place of great holiness. For many centuries it’s been a place for prayer, sweat lodges, offerings and ceremonies. To the Lakota and Cheyenne, for example, it is Bear Lodge, while the Mandan call it Bear’s Hat and the Arapaho Bear’s Tipi. Most identify it with a bear, one of the most powerful totems. About 20 Indian tribes claim some kind of cultural or religious connection to the tower. Many Native Americans value this landmark for another reason: its sacredness. The fluted column is a rare geological phenomenon that draws scientists from around the world. Formed from molten magma some 50 million years ago, the tower was gradually exposed as the rocks around it were eroded away. Nearly 900 feet in height, the tower rises like a solitary sentinel above the gently rolling hills that surround the Black Hills. ![]() I’ve visited Devils Tower several times over the years, but it always surprises me when I see it appear on the horizon. Between Hollywood and that misguided Army colonel, it’s no wonder that people get the wrong impression of this landmark. If you’ve seen the movie, you may remember Richard Dreyfuss creating replicas of the formation out of mashed potatoes. Director Steven Spielberg set the climax of his alien-encounter movie at Devils Tower. (To add insult to injury, its official name lacks an apostrophe, which grates on the nerves of my inner editor.)Īnd then there’s the tower’s starring role in the film Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Thanks to a clueless Army colonel who gave it the designation while passing through this part of northeast Wyoming in 1875, the formidable formation has borne a most unfortunate name. This remarkable natural formation, unfortunately, takes the prize for Worst-Named Holy Site. Devils Tower is a tower, certainly, but evil forces have nothing to do with it. Its hundreds of parallel cracks make it a favorite destination for climbers. ![]() Devils Tower in Wyoming was formed from molten magma and was gradually exposed over millions of years as the surrounding rock was eroded away (Bob Sessions photo).ĭevils Tower National Monument is a massive geological formation in Wyoming that’s considered sacred by the Northern Plains Indians.
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