Devils Tower facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Devils Tower(Bear Lodge) |
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| Matȟó Thípila (Lakota), Daxpitcheeaasáao (Crow) | |
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 5,112 ft (1,558 m) NAVD 88 |
| Geography | |
| Location | Crook County, Wyoming, United States |
| Parent range | Bear Lodge Mountains, part of the Black Hills |
| Topo map | USGS Devils Tower |
| Geology | |
| Mountain type | Laccolith |
| Climbing | |
| First ascent | William Rogers and Willard Ripley, July 4, 1893 |
| Easiest route | Durrance Route |
| Devils Tower National Monument | |
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IUCN Category III (Natural Monument)
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 Devils Tower National Monument
Location in the United States
Devils Tower National Monument
Location in Wyoming
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| Nearest city | Hulett, Wyoming |
| Area | 1,346 acres (5.45 km2) |
| Established | September 24, 1906 |
| Visitors | 499,031 (in 2017) |
| Governing body | National Park Service |
| Website | Devils Tower National Monument |
Devils Tower is a huge rock formation in northeastern Wyoming, USA. It is also known as Bear Lodge. This amazing tower is made of igneous rock, which is rock formed from cooled magma. It stands tall in the Bear Lodge Mountains, which are part of the Black Hills.
Devils Tower rises about 386 meters (1,267 feet) above the Belle Fourche River. From its base to its top, it is about 264 meters (867 feet) high. The very top of the tower is 1,558 meters (5,112 feet) above sea level.
Devils Tower National Monument was the very first national monument in the United States. President Theodore Roosevelt created it on September 24, 1906. The protected area around the tower covers about 545 hectares (1,347 acres).
Contents
What's in a Name?
Many Native American tribes have their own names for this special rock. These names often mean "Bear's House" or "Bear's Lodge." For example, the Lakota call it Matȟó Thípila, and the Crow call it Daxpitcheeaasáao. Other names include "Aloft on a Rock" (from the Kiowa) and "Brown Buffalo Horn."
The name "Devils Tower" came from an expedition in 1875. The leader, Colonel Richard Irving Dodge, heard a native name that his interpreter thought meant "Bad God's Tower." So, the name "Devils Tower" was used. Today, all official signs use "Devils Tower" without an apostrophe.
Over the years, there have been talks about changing the name back to "Bear Lodge." Many Native American groups believe this name is more respectful. However, some local people worry that changing the name might hurt tourism. So far, the name has not been changed.
How Devils Tower Formed
The land around Devils Tower is mostly made of sedimentary rocks. These rocks formed from layers of sand, mud, and other materials that settled in ancient seas. The oldest rocks you can see near the tower are dark red sandstone and maroon siltstone. These were laid down in a shallow sea millions of years ago.
About 40.5 million years ago, hot, melted rock called magma pushed up from deep inside the Earth. This magma squeezed into the layers of sedimentary rock above it. It didn't erupt onto the surface like a volcano. Instead, it cooled and hardened underground.
As the magma cooled, it shrank and cracked. These cracks formed tall, straight columns, mostly with six sides (like a hexagon). Some columns have four, five, or seven sides. These columns can be up to 6 meters (20 feet) wide and 183 meters (600 feet) tall.
Over millions of years, wind, rain, and ice slowly wore away the softer sedimentary rocks around the hardened magma. This process, called erosion, exposed the tough, resistant rock of Devils Tower. That's why it stands out so much today!
Even now, the tower is still eroding. Pieces of rock, from small stones to entire columns, break off and fall to the base. This creates piles of broken rock called scree. These piles show that the tower was once even wider than it is now.
Native American Stories
Devils Tower is a very sacred place for many Native American tribes. They have many legends about how the tower came to be.
One popular story from the Kiowa and Lakota tribes tells of a group of girls playing. Giant bears began to chase them. To escape, the girls climbed onto a rock and prayed for help. The Great Spirit heard their prayers and made the rock grow taller and taller towards the sky. The bears tried to climb up, leaving deep claw marks on the sides of the tower. These marks are still visible today. When the girls reached the sky, they became the stars of the Pleiades constellation.
Another story from the Sioux tells of two boys who wandered far from their village. A huge bear named Mato, with claws the size of tipi poles, wanted to eat them. The boys prayed to Wakan Tanka, the Creator. They rose up on a giant rock, and Mato tried to climb it, leaving huge scratch marks. The bear eventually gave up. An eagle, Wanblee, then helped the boys get down and return to their village.
A Cheyenne version of the story says that a giant bear chased several girls. Two sisters escaped and told two boys that the bear could only be killed by an arrow shot through its foot. The boys led the bear to Devils Tower. They tricked the bear into thinking the girls had climbed the rock. As the bear tried to climb, it left more claw marks. The boys shot arrows at its foot. Finally, an arrow scared the bear away, and that arrow kept going up into the sky, never coming down.
Wooden Leg, a Northern Cheyenne man, shared another legend. An Indigenous man slept at the base of Bear Lodge next to a buffalo head. When he woke up, he and the buffalo head were on top of the tower, with no way down. He prayed all day and night. When he awoke again, he was back on the ground, but the buffalo head remained on top. This story is very important to the Northern Cheyenne because a sacred buffalo head is a central part of their tribal traditions.
History of Devils Tower
Early fur trappers might have seen Devils Tower, but they didn't write about it. The first non-Native American visitors to record seeing the tower were part of Captain William F. Raynolds's expedition in 1859.
Later, in 1875, Colonel Richard Irving Dodge led a scientific survey party to the tower. He was the one who gave it the name "Devils Tower." Recognizing how special it was, the United States Congress made the area a U.S. forest reserve in 1892. Then, in 1906, Devils Tower became the very first National Monument in the United States.
Climbing Devils Tower
Climbing Devils Tower has become very popular. About 1.3% of the monument's 400,000 yearly visitors climb the tower. Most climbers use traditional climbing methods.
The first known climb of Devils Tower happened on July 4, 1893. Two local ranchers, William Rogers and Willard Ripley, built a ladder using wooden pegs driven into cracks in the rock. Some of these old wooden pegs can still be seen today if you hike the Tower Trail. Many people used this ladder to climb the tower for about 30 years before it fell apart.
The first climb using modern climbing gear was in 1937. It was done by Fritz Wiessner, William P. House, and Lawrence Coveney.
In 1941, a man named George Hopkins parachuted onto Devils Tower as a stunt. He planned to use a rope to get down, but the rope fell off the tower. He was stuck for six days in bad weather! A rescue team, led by Jack Durrance, finally reached him and brought him down. This event was big news at the time.
Today, hundreds of climbers climb the tower each summer. The most common path is called the Durrance Route. There are many other climbing routes on all sides of the tower. Some are easy, and some are very challenging. All climbers must tell a park ranger before and after their climb. No one is allowed to camp overnight at the top.
Because the Tower is sacred to several Native American tribes, there is a voluntary climbing ban in June. During this month, tribes hold special ceremonies around the monument. Climbers are asked, but not required, to avoid climbing in June. About 85% of climbers respect this request.
Wildlife at Devils Tower
Devils Tower National Monument is home to many different animals. You might see white-tailed deer, prairie dogs, and even bald eagles living there.
Devils Tower in Movies and Games
- The famous 1977 movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind used Devils Tower as a key location. Its popularity led to many more visitors and climbers coming to the monument.
- The tower also appears as a natural wonder in the strategy video game Civilization VI.
Historic Places at the Monument
Several areas within Devils Tower National Monument are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This means they are important historical sites. These include:
- Entrance Road
- Entrance Station
- Old Headquarters Area Historic District
- Tower Ladder
Images for kids
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Devils Tower, also known as Bear Lodge
See also
In Spanish: Monumento nacional de la Torre del Diablo para niños
