The trail offers an excellent view of the prairie dog town. The shortest trail - the Amphitheater Circuit - is a 1.5-mile loop covering the tower’s south side, including a steep area to hike. Some trails only take an hour, or you could spend up to a full day exploring the national monument. Nature enthusiasts love Devils Tower National Monument, and there are trails available for all types of hikers. These pioneers are known as the Old Settlers, and their descendants gather at the monument each summer for the Old Settlers’ Picnic, which honors locals for their contributions to the community. When pioneers seeking a new life in the West traveled by wagon train along the Oregon, California, and Mormon Trails, many settled in the Devils Tower area, seeing that there was plenty of land for cattle ranching and farming. Mountain lions, foxes, bobcats, and coyotes also live in the area, but you probably won’t run into them, since they prefer to remain far from humans.Ĭheri Alguire / Shutterstock 3. Known to grow up to 7 feet long, the bull snake may be found on the butte itself, since it’s an excellent climber. While there are venomous rattlesnakes in the area, the most common snake visitors encounter is the non-venomous bull snake. It’s a bird-watcher’s delight!ĭevils Tower National Monument is also home to reptiles, including lizards and snakes. You can also see prairie dog towns and several types of birds, including bald eagles, hawks, falcons, vultures, and waterfowl such as geese and ducks. He selected Devils Tower as the nation’s first national monument based on its cultural and historical significance.Īs you explore Devils Tower, you’ll have an opportunity for impressive wildlife viewing, with animals such as pronghorn, white-tailed, and mule deer bison and bighorn sheep roaming the area. President Theodore Roosevelt was known for his love of nature and sought to set aside parts of the United States for conservation purposes. Native Americans have unsuccessfully requested that the site be renamed to honor its indigenous history. Known as Mato Tipila to the Lakota, the tower also goes by Bear’s Tipi (Arapahoe), Bear’s House (Crow), and Tree Rock (Kiowa - they believed the sides of the tower were scratches left by a bear’s claws).ĭevils Tower is the site of several indigenous ceremonies during the month of June. These origin stories often feature a girl turning into a bear or being chased by a bear. Most of their oral histories (Native Americans prefer oral histories to written accounts) of the monument focus on bears. Native Americans Call It By Different Namesĭozens of Native American tribes continue to maintain a sacred connection with Devils Tower, which is located on the western edge of the Black Hills mountain range. Here are seven interesting facts about Devils Tower National Monument. You’ll also find unique rocks in the prairie grass, hinting at the area’s past as a prehistoric sea. Standing nearly 900 feet tall from base to summit, Devils Tower - called Mato Tipila (“Bear Lodge”) by the Lakota - is a popular tourist destination as well as a major climbing attraction.Īs you walk to the monument or enjoy a hike, you’ll find several types of geologic formations - from gypsum to shale - created over nearly 140 million years from the Jurassic Period to the Paleocene Epoch. As Americans made their way westward in 1875, an interpreter for a military expedition misunderstood the Native American name and referred to the landmark as “Devils Tower.” Native Americans such as the Lakota (Sioux) once regarded it as a religious and cultural symbol. Named the nation’s first national monument by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1906, Devils Tower National Monument has been around for thousands of years. Long before Hollywood aliens visited, Devils Tower stood as both a beautiful and cultural icon in eastern Wyoming.
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