Devils Tower National Monument ⓘ

There are numerous stories about the Tower passed down through American Indian culture . Although popular culture would label them myths or legends, a more appropriate term would be oral histories, or in many cases sacred narratives. These stories helped to connect people with the Tower site. Sacred narratives are told today with a reverence to the beliefs and people of the past.

Each tribe had their own oral history, and in many cases multiple histories exist from the same tribe. Many of the stories contain similar elements. They are preserved today by the traditions of American Indian culture and the work of historians passed.

Although the following stories are products of the past, the tribes they are associated with are active members of our present. They each have sovereign nations within the United States (known as reservations). The people and members of those tribes are a part of our modern national community, and their connections with places like the Tower are as important today as they were for generations before this sacred place became a national monument.

An Arapahoe lodge was camped at Bear's Tipi. The father of this lodge was a head lodge and had seven children, five boys and two girls. The two girls had made an arrangement between themselves that the one who found the end rib-bone of a bison should receive the most favors from the brothers. The boys often made trips to other tribes. After a long search one of the girls found an end bone of a bison, but on picking it up she turned into a bear and made some big scratches on her sister's back. The 'bear-girl' told her sister, "If you tell, the dogs will howl and this will be a signal so I will know that you have told." The sister did tell her brothers and when they heard the dogs howl and give the signal they were scared and started to run.

The bear-girl heard the signal and ran after them. The girl who had told was carrying a ball in her hand which she dropped and accidentally kicked. The ball bounded up on the big, high rock. The bear-girl reached over her sister's shoulder to grab the ball, slipped and made very big scratches on the big rock and fell on her sister and broke the sister's chest. The bear-girl climbed to the top of the big, high rock and told her family that there would be seven stars in the shape of a diamond appear in the east; she said the first star out would be off to one side and would be brighter than the other stars. The first star would be called "Broken Chest Star."

This story was told by Sherman Sage, who learned it from his father, Straight-Old-Man (who in turned learned it from his father, Drying-Up-Hide). It was recorded on August 19, 1932.

A band of Cheyennes went on one of their visits to Na Kovehe (Bear Lodge) to worship the great spirit, as did many other tribes. Families and all members of the tribe came, as Bear Lodge was known as a holy place.

After having camped there for several days one of the Cheyenne braves noticed that his wife was gone from camp, staying away for a short time. As time went on, he noticed that she was gone longer than before. This brave could not understand why his wife should be gone from their lodge so much as he had always been devoted to her, being a good hunter as well as a brave warrior. She always had much buffalo, antelope and deer meat. He furnished her fine skins to make nice clothes.

Becoming suspicious that some other brave in his band might be courting his wife, he watched to see what man was missing when his wife left camp. He found that no man was missing when his wife was gone. This man also saw that his wife had a skin over her shoulders, which she did not wear before coming to this camp.

One day when she had been gone longer than usual, he laid in wait for her. On her return her asked her where she had been and what drew her from camp so much of the time. She would not answer any of his questions. Then the man became mad and tore the skin from her shoulders and saw that she was covered with scratches. He demanded that she tell him which man had abused her. Becoming frightened at the way her husband was acting, she told him that she had been charmed by a very big bear that lived in the big rock. The bear had no mate and had become infatuated with her while she was out gathering fruit. Fearing for the safety of the camp, she had submitted to the bear's embraces, which accounted for the scratches on her shoulders.

Then the warrior told his wife to lead him to the bear so he could kill it. When they found the bear the man had great fear because the bear was big, very big. The bear slapped the woman with his paw and changed her into a bear. The man ran to the camp to get the rest of the braves to help him kill the big bear.

They found the bear had crawled into a cave, leaving his hind feet in the door. The bear's feet were so big that nobody could get past them. They could not get close enough to the bear to kill him so they shot at his feet to make him come out. When the bear came out he was so big that all the warriors were scared and climbed up on a big rock.

These men were so scared that they prayed to the Great Spirit to save them. In answer to their prayers, the rock began to grow up out of the ground and when it stopped it was very high. The bear jumped at the men and on the fourth jump his claws were on the top. The Great Spirit had helped the men and now they had great courage and they shot the bear and killed him. When the bear fell backwards and pushed the big rock, the big rock leaned.

After that the bear-woman made this big rock her home, so the Cheyennes call it "Bear Lodge."

This legend was told to Dick Stone by Young-Bird, a Cheyenne, whose home was on the Lame Deer Reservation. Samuel Weasel Bear acted as an interpreter. Young-Bird said, "This is a true story. It happened."

Once when some Crows were camped at "Bear's House," two little girls were playing around some big rocks there. There were lots of bears living around the big rock, and one big bear, seeing the girls alone, was going to eat them. The big bear was just about to catch the girls when they saw him. The girls were scared and the only place they could get was on top of the rocks around which they had been playing

The girls climbed the rock but still the bear could catch them. The Great Spirit, seeing the bear was about to catch the girls, caused the rock to grow up out of the ground. The bear kept trying to jump to the top of the rock but he just scratched the rock and fell down on the ground. The claw marks are on the rock now. The rock kept growing until it was so high that the bear could not get the girls. The two girls are still on top of the rock.

This legend was told to Dick Stone by Ride-The-White-Hip-Horse. Interpreted by Goes-To-Magpie.

During a celebration in 1932 on the Crow Agency in Montana, Max Big Man was questioned about the Tower. He explained: "The Indians called the Devils Tower "Bear's Tipi" or "Bear Lodge," because so many bears lived there. They believed it was put there by the Great Spirit for a special reason, because it was different from the other rocks, rising high up in the air, instead of being on the ground. For this reason it was looked upon as a holy place, and the Indians went there to worship and fast."

Before the Kiowa came south they were camped on a stream in the far north where there were a great many bears, many of them. One day, seven little girls were playing at a distance from the village and were chased by some bears. The girls ran toward the village and the bears were just about to catch them when the girls jumped on a low rock, about three feet high. One of the girls prayed to the rock, "Rock take pity on us, rock save us!" The rock heard them and began to grow upwards, pushing the girls higher and higher. When the bears jumped to reach the girls, they scratched the rock, broke their claws, and fell on the ground.

The rock rose higher and higher, the bears still jumped at the girls until they were pushed up into the sky, where they now are, seven little stars in a group (The Pleiades). In the winter, in the middle of the night, the seven stars are right over this high rock. When the people came to look, they found the bears' claws, turned to stone, all around the base.

No Kiowa living has ever seen this rock, but the old men have told about it - it is very far north where the Kiowa used to live. It is a single rock with scratched sides, the marks of the bears' claws are there yet, rising straight up, very high. There is no other like it in the whole country, there are no trees on it, only grass on top. The Kiowa call this rock "Tso-aa", a tree rock, possibly because it grew tall like a tree.

In the Lakota tribe long ago was a brave warrior who often went alone into the wilderness where he would fast and worship the Great Spirit in solitude. Being alone helped him to strengthen his courage so that in the future he could carry out his plans.

One day this warrior took his buffalo skull and went alone into the wilderness to worship. Standing at the base of Mato Tipila after he had worshipped for two days he suddenly found himself on top of this high rock. He was very much frightened as he did not know how he would get down. After appealing to the Great Spirit he went to sleep. When he awoke he was very glad to find that he was again at the base of this high rock.

He saw that he was standing at the door of a big bear's lodge as there was foot prints of a very big bear there. He could tell that the cracks in the big rock were made by the big bear's claws. So he knew that all the time he had been on top of this big rock he had been standing on a big bear's lodge.

From this time on his nation called this big high rock Mato Tipila and they went there often to worship. The buffalo skull is still on top of this big high rock and can be seen on the highest point.

This legend told to Dick Stone by Short Bull, who lived a short distance west of Oglala, South Dakota, on July 31, 1932. Mark Running Eagle, Interpreter.

The Tower was an object of curiosity to early white explorers. Although fur traders and others probably saw the gigantic formation, no records survive to confirm this suspicion. Lieutenant G. K. Warren’s expedition of 1855 passed through the Black Hills en route from Fort Laramie to Fort Pierre; it is unlikely they were close enough to see the Tower. In 1857, Warren, accompanied by Dr. F. V. Hayden and others, started from Fort Laramie to explore the Black Hills and then, returned to the Missouri via the Niobrara River. At Inyan Kara, they met a large party of Sioux who threatened to attack if they attempted to advance farther.

While there Warren reported seeing the "Bear's Lodge" and "Little Missouri Buttes" to the north through a powerful spyglass. It is not known if he was referring to the Bear Lodge Mountains or to the Tower itself. The explorers retraced their route 40 miles and took another route eastward instead of the one originally planned. Captain W. F. Raynolds' Yellowstone Expedition passed through the Black Hills region two years later. His topographer, J. T. Hutton, and the Sioux interpreter, Zephyr Recontre, reached the Tower on July 20 and returned to the expedition's camp on the Little Missouri River. Despite being in the region, neither Warren nor Raynolds left descriptions of the formation.

It remained for the U.S. Geological Survey party to call attention to the uniqueness of the Tower. In 1875, after General Custer's claims of gold in the Black Hills, Colonel Richard Irving Dodge led a new expedition of the area. He described the Tower as "one of the most remarkable peaks in this or any country."

Henry Newton (1845-1877), geological assistant to the expedition, wrote: "[The Tower’s] remarkable structure, its symmetry, and its prominence made it an unfailing object of wonder. . . It is a great remarkable obelisk of trachyte, with a columnar structure, giving it a vertically striated appearance, and it rises 625 feet almost perpendicular, from its base. Its summit is so entirely inaccessible that the energetic explorer, to whom the ascent of an ordinarily difficult crag is but a pleasant pastime, standing at its base could only look upward in despair of ever planting his feet on the top. . . "

It was during this expedition that the name "Devils Tower" originated. In his 1876 book, The Black Hills , Dodge called it "Devils Tower," explaining: "The Indians call this shaft The Bad God’s Tower, a name adopted with proper modification, by our surveyors." Newton, whose published work on the survey appeared in 1880, explained that the name Bear Lodge ( Mato Tipila ) "appears on the earliest map of the region, and though more recently it is said to be known among the Indians as 'the bad god's tower,' or in better English, 'the devil’s tower...'" Although many maps and documents still referred to the formation as "Bear Lodge," Dodge's book became immensely popular and the new name took root in the public's mind.

The issue of the Tower's name is a source of controversy for many people. Almost all of the American Indian names for the Tower are associated with a bear. In the Lakota language, bad god or evil spirit is wakansica whereas the word for black bear is wahanksica - this fact suggests that Dodge's party simply mistranslated the Native American name for the Tower. 1 Recently, tribal organizations have lobbied for a change to the name of the Tower (including the park and nearby area) to Bear Lodge. The national park provides more information about the proposal to change the name for those interested to learn more. By the time Wyoming was granted statehood in 1890, "Devils Tower" had replaced Bear Lodge as the official name for the geologic formation. Knowing the new state was home to one the world's natural wonders, early conservationists endeavored to protect the site from vandalism or misuse.

Information originally drafted by Ray H. Mattison, Historian for the National Park Service, 1955

Historically, many tribes of the Great Plains and Black Hills regions had connections with the area around Devils Tower. Today there are over two dozen tribes associated with the Tower site. Indigenous people of the region today include:

Most tribes that lived in or near the Black Hills had individual oral histories about the creation of the Tower. Although there are similar elements to many of these stories, they are unique in the details. The names ascribed by the various nations for the Tower also display similar variations. In modern English, they are translated as "Bear Lodge," "Bear's Tipi," "Tree Rock," "Gray Horn Butte," and more. Some of these stories are shared on the park website .

Stories and histories shared by tribal members indicate that the Tower was a sacred site - a place for winter camps, vision quests, and summer ceremonies. You can learn more about how and why this place is held sacred by American Indians on our website.

Indian tribes were gradually extirpated from the region as early white explorers , and later white settlers, arrived to the area. The United States government worked to remove the cultural ties many people had with the Black Hills and surrounding sites like the Tower. During the end of the 1900s, a rebirth of American Indian traditions and values inspired new generations to reconnect with their historical roots.

Today, many tribes still utilize the park for traditional ceremonies. Visitors will observe prayer cloths and prayer bundles attached to trees around the park, especially along the Tower Trail. These represent a tangible connection which native peoples still maintain with this area. Please do not touch, disturb, or photograph these cloths.

Managing the national monument for both modern and traditional uses does have its challenges. As climbing became a more popular form of recreation at the Tower, Native American communities raised concerns; many view climbing the Tower as disrespectful of their sacred site. Furthermore, indigenous people generally feel the name "Devils Tower" to be inappropriate and have lobbied for a name change . Tribal members are not unique in these concerns, and park staff work with climbers, the tribes, and all visitors to educate people about differing cultural perspectives.

As people began to settle the area, support grew for the idea of preserving the Tower as a national or state park. In February 1892, Wyoming Senator Francis E. Warren (1844-1929) wrote the Commissioner of the General Land Office (GLO) seeking to protect Devils Tower and the Little Missouri Buttes (located several miles to the northeast). Using the Forest Reserve Act of the previous year, the GLO set aside 60 square miles (38,400 acres), as a temporary forest reserve. By June 1892 the reserve was reduced to 18.75 square miles (12,000 acres), with the remainder being reopened to settlement.

Acting on the advice of the GLO, Senator Warren proposed that the reserve be set aside for a national park. At this point the reserve still included the Tower and the Little Missouri Buttes. On July 1, 1892, Senator Warren introduced a bill (S. 3364) in the United States Senate for the establishment of "Devils Tower National Park." The bill was read twice by its title and referred to the Committee on Territories. However, records indicate that Congress took no further action on the proposal. The area would remain protected as a forest reserve.

It was not until fourteen years later that Devils Tower became a national monument. Due to lack of congressional support a different avenue of protection was sought. The Antiquities Act of 1906 offered a new opportunity for protecting the Tower. This act allowed "objects of historic or scientific interest" to be set aside by the president. Wyoming Representative Frank W. Mondell (1860-1939) lent his support to the plan to have the area preserved as a national monument. Mondell was a member and later chairman of the House Committee on Public Lands. Due in large part to the influence of Mondell, President Theodore Roosevelt proclaimed Devils Tower as the first national monument on September 24, 1906. The acreage set aside was only 1,153 acres, believed by the president to "be sufficiently large to provide for the proper care and management of the monument" under the terms of the Antiquities Act. The Little Missouri Buttes were not included in the monument area. The remainder of the reserve was opened to settlement in 1908.

Some question whether Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) ever visited Devils Tower. Early residents of the region claim he visited the place on a hunting trip through the Black Hills; others say he was present during the dedication. However, no evidence exists to validate these claims. In 1903 Roosevelt made an extended tour through the West, stopping at Gillette, Moorcroft and Sundance, WY. It is likely he saw the Tower from a distance during the tour. It is known that Roosevelt possessed a deep appreciation for natural history; this appreciation led him to set aside over 200 million acres of public lands during his time as president. These lands included national forests, federal bird reserves, national parks, and national monuments. As the Tower is now a protected public land, it offers educational and recreational opportunities for visitors. While Roosevelt's proclamation specifically cites the geology of the Tower as the reason for its protection, the site's significance has broadened over time. Today it is recognized today as an important cultural area for indigenous people . Climbing has become a popular form of recreation at the park, but it was not always so. While most visitors are fascinated by the accomplishments of modern climbers, few know the true stories of the Tower's climbing pioneers .

Information originally compiled by Ray H. Mattison, Historian for the National Park Service, 1955.

The first recorded climb of Devils Tower occurred over ten years before its establishment as a national monument. Willard Ripley and William Rogers were two ranchers living near the Tower in the 1890s. Working together, the two managed to construct a simple stake ladder which they used to climb to the Tower's summit. The feat was well promoted and drew spectators from as far as Rapid City, SD.

As years went on an untold number of people used it to scale the Tower columns. But by the 1920s the ladder was in a state of serious disrepair. The bottom section has since been removed, with the top 200 feet restored by the park service in 1972. Visitors today can still see the old stake ladder - it is visible with the naked eye, but more easily spotted with binoculars or a good camera zoom. The story of the stake ladder has become a fascinating part of the park's cultural history.

The ladder marks the beginning of a long history of climbing at Devils Tower. Although it was used by others after its construction, only a handful of stories survive. In 1937, a group of rock climbers sought to make history by scaling the sides without the use of a ladder. They would start a new tradition of climbing that still exists to this day.

Prior to 1937, rock climbing was evolving as a sport in several places around Europe. Fritz Wiessner was a German-American climber and member of the American Alpine Club (based in New York). Climbing with Lawrence Coveney and William House, Wiessner led the trio in the first free climb of Devils Tower. Wiessner helped set the standard of rock climbing at the Tower, and his name is still attached to the route he and his cohorts pioneered in 1937. The story of the first free climb is available to read on the park website.

The following year, Jack Durrance began the second expedition up the Tower columns. He studied the route Wiessner used the year before, and determined there could be a slightly easier option. What became known as the "Durrance Route" is today the most popular climbing route on the Tower. Considered by many to be the least difficult route, it still provides a challenge to experienced climbers scaling the Tower for their first time.

Within a few years, Durrance would return to the Tower to climb it again. This next expedition would not be for recreation, however: Jack Durrance was leading a rescue mission.

Throughout 1941, the eyes of the nation were fixed on the next "Great War." Europe and Asia were in turmoil, and many knew it was only a matter of time before the United States joined the fray. However the attention of the American people, and indeed those around the world, would be diverted for a short time in October 1941.

The story of George Hopkins captivated people across the globe. A man had gotten himself stuck on the top of Devils Tower. How he got up there, why he could not get down, and what was being done to rescue him were conversation topics around many dinner tables. The parachutist drew a lot of attention to a little national monument in northeast Wyoming. In the end, Jack Durrance led a team of eight climbers to the summit to bring Hopkins down after being stranded for six days.

The names we give to places do more than provide labels for a map. A name represents the meaning which a place holds to a person or group. It helps us remember what a place is, who lives there, and why it is important. It identifies the significance of an area's history.

The place we know as Devils Tower was not always called by this name. American Indian tribes who live in this region have their own names for the formation. The most common and widely used during the time of United States exploration of the Black Hills (1855-75) was Bear Lodge. Other English translations of names used by Native Americans include Grey Horn Butte, Tree Rock, and The Place Where Bears Live.

Most maps from 1857 to 1901 mark this feature as Bear Lodge or Bears Lodge (a translation from a common Lakota name for the Tower, Mato Tipila ). The name change happened during this time period with information brought back by an expedition led by Colonel Richard Irving Dodge . His expedition sent a small contingent, including geologist and mapmaker Henry Newton, to study the Tower. After Newton's group returned, Dodge wrote that "the Indians call this place 'bad god's tower,' a name adopted with proper modification..." And so the label "Devil's Tower" was created.

No other records indicate that Native Americans associated this place with bad gods or evil spirits. It is suspected that a bad translation led the men to confuse the words for bear and bad god. Others feel Dodge deliberately changed the name of an important indigenous site. Cartographers, geologists, and others in the academic community continued to use Bear Lodge for many years. The General Land Office (responsible for granting homestead and property rights in the late 1800s) sent a letter to a field office in 1890 regarding land claims around the future monument: "it appears that a great national wonder locally known as the 'Devils Tower' technically called the 'Bear Lodge Butte...' is being sought for speculative purposes." Regardless, Dodge published a book about his expedition which became very popular. The new name "Devil's Tower" became lodged in the public consciousness, and was adopted by the early 1900s.

The US Board on Geographic Names (BGN) is the federal agency responsible for managing place names. Since its inception in 1890, the BGN utilizes a policy not to make place names possessive (e.g. "Devil's Tower"): "Apostrophes suggesting possession or association are discouraged within the body of a proper geographic name" (US BGN Principles, Policies, and Procedures). Although Dodge wrote it as a possessive, and many white settlers used the phrase "the Devil's Tower," drafting of the monument's proclamation likely resulted in instituting this policy of non-possessive place names. And so "the Devil's Tower" became simply "Devils Tower."

Controversy exists today over the proper name of this place. In 2014, petitions were submitted to change the name from Devils Tower to Bear Lodge. While the park can educate people about the proposal to change the name , the National Park Service does not have authority to change the name of a place.

"Belle fourche" (pronounced bell FOOSH) means "beautiful fork" in French; the river was also known as the North Fork of the Cheyenne by many early explorers. The Belle Fourche River has its headwaters to the southwest of Devils Tower, and is an important part of the ecosystems along the north edge of the Black Hills. It also had a starring role in the formation of the Tower itself.

The various formation theories of Devils Tower generally have one thing in common: the land around the Tower has been exposed to a high level of erosion. There are many forces of erosion (wind, rain, gravity), but the primary force acting on the sedimentary rock layers around the Tower was the Belle Fourche River. Some geologists believe the river system was much larger millions of years ago; looking at the Belle Fourche today, it is hard to believe it could carry off enough land to bury the 867-foot monolith. That is because humans have acted to change the natural flow of the river.

Today the Belle Fourche River flows calmly past the base of Devils Tower. Visitors cross over the river shortly after entering the park. Its waters provide a crucial resource for area ranchers in an otherwise dry land. At one time, the Belle Fourche experienced annual spring flooding. These floods would wash out the original park bridge;the park service channelized a small part of the river in 1937 to protect the bridge.

In the early 1950s the Bureau of Reclamation started a project to create the Keyhole Reservoir on the Belle Fourche, several miles upstream of the Tower. The goal was to provide irrigation and flood control for the surrounding region.The reservoir, managed by the Bureau of Reclamation , has since become a popular state park that provides a place for water recreation such as boating and fishing. The dam and reservoir have greatly decreased the flows of the Belle Fourche downstream, including through the park.

The channelization and damming of the river have created long-term impacts to the ecosystem. Many of the old cottonwood and willow trees are dying out due to the absence of spring floods. Without the replenishing effects of the flood waters, new trees are not growing to replace the old. This is evident along the river bottom and through the park campground .

Despite the changes to the river during the 1900s, it still provides a beautiful counterpoint to the forested slopes and rocky outcrops that dominate the rest of the park. Deer can be seen standing in the rippling waters, and swallows nest under the bridge awnings. Osprey and eagles are seen hovering above the stream looking for fish.

The river creates an ecotone known as a riparian zone (ecotone is where two habitats meet). These riparian zones are crucial habitats for all manner of organisms. With the red sandstone cliffs rising above it, the Belle Fourche is a small but beautiful part of the park. For fishing enthusiasts, the Belle Fourche River within the park is open to fish, pursuant to state fishing regulations .

Visitors to Devils Tower National Monument will spot the Tower formation from miles away. Many also notice several mound-shaped formations at a distance from the Tower. These are the Little Missouri Buttes.

Located about 3.5 miles to the northwest of the Tower, the buttes take their name from the Little Missouri River, which has its headwaters nearby. In 1892, Wyoming Senator Francis Warren sought to protect the entirety of Devils Tower and the Little Missouri Buttes by creating a forest reserve encompassing all of the formations. Although only the Tower was permanently protected, the other buttes are still linked to the Tower both visually and geologically.

The best place in the park to see the Little Missouri Buttes is from the Tower summit. From here you can clearly see all four buttes - something which can be difficult elsewhere. Two of the buttes rise slightly higher in elevation than the Tower, while the other two are slightly lower.

The buttes are formed of the same type of rock as the Tower, called phonolite porphyry. Some geologists think they were from the same intrusion of magma that created the Tower. Although some columnar jointing is evident in the Little Missouri Buttes, they lack the definitive appearance and grandeur of Devils Tower.

A place takes on meaning for people when they become attached to it. The sights, sounds and smells make a powerful imprint on our memories; they help us connect to an area. We develop a sense of place based on our experiences, and the shared culture and folklore associated with those experiences. Many residents of the Black Hills region identify with the Tower because of the sense of place that has been cultivated by using the land as a gathering spot for many generations.

Modern gatherings at the Tower can be traced back to 4 July 1893, when William Rogers and Willard Ripley promoted their climb to the summit of Devils Tower. Although people continued to use the Tower as a gathering place every summer, it was not until 1932 that a local group officially organized the Old Settlers' Picnic. The event would draw thousands of people, and offered locals a chance to see their family, friends and neighbors.

These Old Settlers' Picnics typically occurred during the month of June, and continued into the 1960s. The tradition was revived for the monument's centennial in 2006. Today, the Devils Tower Natural History Association hosts the annual event; highlights include guest speakers, poetry, music, food and family fun. The Old Settlers' Picnic historically took place during the last weekend of June. The Old Settlers' Picnic now takes place every year in September. Check the Association's website or the park's online event calendar to find out when this year's event will take place.

In 1890, a local rancher named Bill Rogers boasted to his brother-in-law, "I'll be on top of the Tower before three years." Like most people with good sense, his brother thought Rogers sure to meet his demise in the undertaking. Rogers, however, was not to be underestimated.

The early 1890s saw an economic downturn for the ranching industry. Bill Rogers and his new business partner, Willard Ripley, would talk about Rogers' idea of climbing Devils Tower. They felt that an accomplishment like this could surely draw a crowd and make them some money. Ripley's father supported the idea, and the three men worked to formulate a plan for making it to the summit. In 1893, they were attempting to fly a large kite over the top of the Tower; the idea was to use the kite string to haul a rope over the Tower to aid their climb.

When the kite became stuck in one of the Tower's cracks, a new plan had to be formed. While they were attempting to dislodge their kite, Rogers and Ripley noticed the crack it was stuck in seemed to go from the base of the Tower clear to the top. This crack was to be their path to the summit.

The two men, with the help of Ripley's father, began cutting logs for what would become a 350-foot ladder. Rogers and the elder Ripley did most of the cutting and hauling, while Ripley did the bulk of the construction. They cut large pegs, about three inches in diameter, 24-30 inches long and sharpened on one end. Ripley would hammer the sharp end into the crack, connecting the outside with boards.

Work continued for several months, with Ripley inching his way up the Tower. The left-handed rancher had the advantage over his partner, since he was able to better position himself for use of his dominant hand. A pulley system brought up the raw materials as Ripley stood on his newly inserted rungs.

The crack (and ladder) did not go to the summit. Built into the southeast face of the Tower, it reached a sloped area about two-thirds of the way up known today as "the Meadows." From there, Ripley was able to scramble up to the actual summit.

As Ripley finished the stake ladder, Rogers was busy spreading the word about a 4 th of July event at Devils Tower. A handbill for the occasion was distributed throughout the region. It boasted of special speakers, food and drink for sale, hay for horses and lots of dancing. The highlight of the day would be the ascent of the new ladder, with Rogers planting the American flag ("Old Glory") on the Tower's summit.

Linnie Rogers and Dollie Ripley, the wives of the two ranchers, would organize and sell the food, drink and livestock accomodations. The handbill boasted: "Perfect order will be maintained. The rarest sight of a life time will be observed, and the 4 th of July will be better spent at the Devil's Tower than at the World's Fair."

Spectators came from as far away as Rapid City, South Dakota. Some journeyed over 100 miles - a 3-day trip by horse and wagon - to watch the two men climb "the Devils' Tower." By the evening of July 3 rd , an estimated 800 people were camped along the Belle Fourche River at the base of the Tower. In a region thinly settled, a crowd that size was a sight to behold.

But the sight they all came to see occured the following day. Before his climb, Bill Rogers donned an Uncle Sam suit and received a flag to carry with him. By noon he was on the top with the American flag snapping in the stiff Wyoming wind. After he made his descent, the crowd cheered for his victorious feat, and celebrations continued through the night.

Accounts of the day included several other people who may have climbed the Tower - spectators from the crowd. A long-held belief that the flag was torn up and sold in pieces was never substantiated (local historians have never located any of the pieces). What is known is the yearly tradition that grew out of this first historic event.

Although not officially organized until 1932, people congregated at the Tower every summer around the 4 th of July. These gatherings would come to be known as the "Old Settlers' Picnics." The big event hosted by Rogers and Ripley was the first well-known gathering, and the ladder became a focus for many years thereafter.

Using the same ladder her husband used two years previous, Linnie Rogers became the first woman to climb the Tower on July 4, 1895. Reportedly, parts of the ladder were removed or destroyed to prevent people from attempting the dangerous climb. The last known use of the ladder was in 1927 by daredevil Babe "The Fly" White. In 1972, the park service removed what was left of the bottom section, and restored the top 140 feet of the ladder. It remains today as part of the cultural history of Devils Tower National Monument.

In October 1941 Devils Tower National Monument made headlines across the nation. A professional parachutist named George Hopkins was stuck atop the Tower with no way down. Who was this person, why was he on Devils Tower, and how was he going to down?

During the first part of the 1900s, several advancements in parachute technology had been made; the devices were still rudimentary by today's standards, however. George Hopkins already held a number of records for spectacular parachute jumps, but he looked to push the envelope even further. He wanted to set a world record for number of parachute jumps in a single day. To create publicity for this idea, he determined a single, spectacular jump would do the trick.

Without the consent or knowledge of National Park Service officials, Hopkins parachuted from an airplane to the top of Devils Tower. He wanted to prove that a parachutist could land precisely on a small target - the Tower summit being just over one acre in size. His plan was to descend using a 1,000-foot rope which would be dropped from the plane after him. Hopkins hit his mark, but his rope landed out of reach on the side of the Tower, leaving him stuck on top.

The National Park Service now had a problem to solve, and newspapers around the country ran with the story. While they considered options for rescuing the stranded man, airplanes dropped food, water and warm clothing to keep Hopkins alive. Letters written by concerned citizens, corporations and the military posed uncertain suggestions for getting him down. After a few days Jack Durrance , one of the early technical climbers to scale the Tower, offered to lead a rescue party. The park service accepted.

More supplies were dropped to Hopkins and assurances were given that help was coming. Advice and offers of assistance continued. The Goodyear Company offered to loan the use of a blimp, while the Navy offered the use of a helicopter. Bad weather forced Durrance to travel by train. On October 5, Durrance and his party arrived at the monument. Working closely with the park service, they laid out a safe climbing route for rescue operations. On the following day, Durrance led seven other climbers to the summit of the Tower. They found Hopkins who, in spite of his ordeal, was in excellent physical condition and in good spirits. The descent was made with little difficulty. The stranded parachutist and the rescue operations attracted many spectators: during the six-day period, some 7,000 visitors came to the monument to witness events first-hand.

Within a few months following the Hopkins episode, the United States entered World War II. National Park Service sites saw very little visitation during the war years. As for Hopkins, he would go on to work with the military training the new airborne infantry divisions for the war. It is believed he set his world record as he taught other young men to safely jump and land using a parachute.

On a bleary day in the plains of eastern Wyoming, a small group of travelers decides to take a detour to a place known as Devils Tower. The group was returning to New York City and had planned a stop-over in the Black Hills for one of their favorite past times: rock climbing. Most of the group was skeptical about the detour, since Devils Tower was not a place for rock climbing.

As Fritz Wiessner stood at the base of Devils Tower, gazing up at its monumental columns, he thought to himself this would be a good place to climb. Although doubtful at first, Custodian (Superintendent) Newell Joyner, soon supported the idea. However, the National Park Service office in Washington, D.C. disagreed. Wiessner left the Tower disappointed that day, but an idea had been planted.

In May of 1937, Fritz Wiessner submitted a formal application to the National Park Service to climb Devils Tower National Monument. What he wanted to do was unprecedented: a technical rock climb up the 867-foot monolith, unaided by artificial devices. Although several people had been to the summit of the Tower, all who had done so accomplished the climb by means of a stake ladder built in 1893. Wiessner wanted to use ropes, pitons, and his technical climbing abilities. The park service gave him permission.

On 27 June 1937, Wiessner, along with Lawrence Coveney and William House, arrived to the monument and began scouting for a viable climbing route. They made a short start up a crack on the southeast face, but were held up by vegetation and dwindling daylight. They would return the next day prepared to make the climb, but for the first time Wiessner admitted that "failure was probable."

The following day, Wiessner, Coveney and House began their ascent of the Tower. All of them were experienced climbers, but it was the leadership and skills of Wiessner that made the ascent possible. As Fritz worked his way up along the cracks, Coveney and House watched with "spontaneous and complete but soft-spoken admiration. We knew we were watching an exhibition of leading such as few climbers ever see."

Techniques used for climbing at Devils Tower can be challenging even for experienced climbers. One must jam their body parts - usually feet and hands, but sometimes shoulders, arms, knees and legs - into cracks and use friction and opposing forces to work their way up the columns. Coveney admitted to great difficulty during certain sections, despite his previous climbing experiences.

During his climb, Wiessner inserted only one piton - a fixed anchor device used to enhance climber safety. The expert climber would later proclaim that anchor unnecessary, and modern climbers of the Wiessner Route will testify it was placed after the hardest section of climb. At 11:18 am, June 28, 1937, the three men became the first to summit Devils Tower using traditional climbing techniques.

The climbing party had been asked by Custodian Joyner to collect data and samples from the summit. Exhausted but exhilarated, the three men paced out the dimensions of the summit and examined the soil and types of plants found on the summit. Bill House was a forester and had a keen eye for vegetation. There was an interest in how plants made it to the summit in the first place. House determined that wind could have easily carried the seeds of the various species of grasses and sage they encountered on the summit.

After only a short time on the summit, the three agreed it was time to descend. By inserting pitons and stringing their rope through these anchors the men were able to rappel from the summit. After several series of rappels, the men were back at the base by 1:30 pm.

The route pioneered by the first three climbers is named after their leader - Wiessner. It is considered a challenging route, but today there are much harder routes to be found on Devils Tower. The Wiessner Route remains one of the most popular climbs at the Tower.

In a larger sense, it was not just the route he climbed, but the fact that Wiessner proved Devils Tower was indeed climbable. Less than a year later a second route was pioneered. Although climbing was more an exception than a rule for several decades, it became increasingly popular through the last quarter of the 1900s. Today an average of 5,000 people follow in the footsteps of Wiessner, Coveney and House as they embrace the challenge of climbing at Devils Tower National Monument .

For those interested in reading more about Wiessner's climb, the below text is from the report filed by Custodian Joyner shortly after the three men completed their descent.

Devils Tower, until Monday, June 28, 1937, unclimbed save by use of rope and stake ladder, has been conquered. Fritz Wiessner, New York, Lawrence Coveney, New York and William P. House, Pittsburgh, Penn., all members of the American Alpine Club, New York City, made the ascent up the almost perpendicular columned laccolith in slightly less than five hours.

The party of climbers arrived at Monument headquarters in the late afternoon of the previous day and spent some time in a reconnaissance of the south side of the Tower and the completion of plans for the ascent. At 6:30 the following morning the climb began, after making their way up over 200 feet of rough talus to a point where the columns rise almost perpendicular. They reached the top 600 feet higher at 11:18, four hours and 48 minutes from the time they began the ascent; 30 minutes was spent exploring the top, collecting requested specimens of the flora as well as samples of the rock found at the summit, taking pictures, and noting in detail points of scientific interest. One hour and forty-two minutes were consumed in the descent which was terminated at 1:30, with a total round-trip time of exactly seven hours. Both ascent and descent were made via the same route on the south side of the Tower.

It was a difficult climb, all three agreed, Wiessner adding that there were few places in the Alps as difficult to climb as one part of the climb where they had to traverse a chimney for eighty feet.

Devils Tower is composed of a granitic rock known as Phonolite Porphyry. At the time of the Black Hills uplift, the up-welling of molten rock in the then overlying layers of sandstone and limestone formed a "lava blister" or Laccolith. Uneven contraction accompanied the rapid cooling of this molten rock causing cracks to be formed which set off huge five or six-sided vertical columns. Erosion has removed much of the blister and left the structure now known as Devils Tower, which stands about 867 feet above the 385 foot hill on which it Tests. The first 250 feet is over the talus slope, or slanting heap of broken stone at the foot of the cliff.

The hard part of the ascent came after the climbers, all of them experienced, started up the crack or chimney, slightly to the west of the old stake and two-by-four ladder constructed by the first climbers, Will Rogers and Will Ripley. Wiessner, who has climbed several very difficult peaks in the Alps and in the Grand Tetons', led the way.

"Wiessner looked over the crack when we got to the overhanging ledge, and said I think it goes." Coveney said. "I wasn't so sure, but Wiessner led us up in as magnificent a piece of mountain climbing as I have ever seen."

A certain technique is required for climbing up cracks and Wiessner is an expert in this line, his companions declared. Using an over and over movement something like the crawl of a caterpillar he led them up the narrow perpendicular seam. Only one piton was used and Wiessner afterward declared that it was unnecessary and wished that he had not used that safety precaution. A piton is a small iron pin, with an eye in the outer end, hand forged and so tempered that it can be bent double twice, before breaking. When used it is driven into a small crack in the rock; into it is fastened a carabiner (snap ring) through which the rope is run. The whole acts purely as a safety device. No actual climbing is done with the aid of the piton or the rope. Both are to serve in case of an accident.

"Every bit of the climb was made under our own power," Wiessner said, "we used no artificial means whatever."

The following scientific observations were made and reported verbally by the members of the party.

After the descent the climbers were met at the top of the talus slope by Newell F. Joyner, custodian of the Devils Tower National Monument, with canteens of water which they received gratefully. "Three cans of grapefruit juice and orange juice doesn't go so very far." House said, "but if we had carried up all the water we wanted, we wouldn't have had any strength left to climb the Tower."

Due to the fact that no announcement of the climb had been made because ethics of mountain climbing forbid it, only a small crowd witnessed the ascent. Tourists who happened to choose that particular day to visit the Tower were rewarded with a rare thrill.

One of the first to congratulate the climbers was Mrs. Alice Hepler, whose first husband, W. L. Ripley, was undoubtedly the first man to stand on the Tower. He aided Will Rogers in building the ladder, carrying the stakes up and pounding them in because he was not afraid of high places, Mrs. Hepler said. The crowd was small in comparison to the climb by Rogers. People came and stayed for several days, and there were probably 500 people who watched it, Mrs. Hepler said, though she declared she had seen some accounts in which the crowd was estimated at 7000. She was the only person at the Tower Monday who had witnessed the first climb.

"I wouldn't recommend that any one except an experienced mountain climber attempt the trip we made," Wiessner said. "It is an extremely difficult climb for 200 feet and to one who does not know mountain climbing it would be practically impossible to reach the top. A serious accident would be very likely to result. There is only one pitch on the north face of the Grand Teton in Wyoming which is as difficult in its way, as this crack is on the Devils Tower."

Wiessner has climbed since his early youth in Europe and in the United States; numbering among these, climbs in the Alps, Himalayas Rockies of Canada, United States, and Mexico. His climb of Mt. Waddington in British Columbia was featured in the December 14, 1937 issue of Life. One of his most difficult climbs was the Kaiserberger in the Alps. Coveney's first major climb was the Devils Tower, although he has climbed extensively and is an experienced climber and highly technical in his climbing technique, we were informed by his comrade. House, a graduate of Yale College of Forestry, has climbed in the Alps, the Tetons, was a member of Wiessner's party in the Waddington climb, and has climbed some in Mexico.

Sunday before coming to the Tower the party stopped in the Needles of the Black Hills, near Harney Peak, climbed two of the spires in order to condition themselves for the more difficult climb of Devils Tower.

The climbers wore ordinary hiking clothes with wool socks and low canvas climbing shoes with heavy hempen soles which not only gave them sure footing but allowed them to feel the crevices with their feet. Each climber carried a 35 meter safety rope made of the best quality Italian hemp, which is tested to 1 1/2 tons and will stretch twenty to twenty-five feet, thus acting as a cushion to the climber in case of a fall.

Wiessner presented his climbing shoes, a piton, and carabiner to the museum at Devils Tower headquarters, and a short piece of the rope used. Special permission for the climb was obtained from the National Park Service. Wiessner and Coveney were here last summer and looked it over but were unable to get permission then. The climbers made the trip out here and the climb entirely at their own expense. We were very grateful to them for the information they brought back.

"And we are grateful to Mr. Joyner for the way the crowd was kept back," Coveney said. "So often we worry more about them than we do about what is above us."

The first climb was made July 4, 1893, when William Rogers a cowboy living near Devils Tower made the ascent. This ascent was made via a ladder which was constructed a short time prior to the climb. Rogers and his neighbor W. L. Ripley, had spent days constructing the ladder, carrying the small stakes up the Tower and pounding them in. Two-by-fours were nailed to the stakes, thus making a crude device which has ever since been called "the ladder."

Two years later Mrs. Rogers climbed the Tower with her husband, again on the Fourth of Juiy. She is the only woman who has ever been up. W. B. Ogden, formerly of Sundance, Cyril Miller, Ivan Hoffer, L. G. Wood, and Henry Hazelbaker., climbed the Tower on the ladder after Rogers had come down on the Fourth of July, 1893. Neil McArthur helped carry material up for Rogers so it is probable that he stood on top at some time.

A rod man, name unknown, in the party of Dr. Herron of the U.S.G.S. made the climb in 1918. Others who have been on top are T. F. Jolley, Spearfish; Seth Boyer in about 1900; Henry Hauber in about 1905; J. Arthur Jobe, July 22, 1906; Dudley Wilkinson, Bates Eccles, Alfred Barr, Lloyd Gay and William McMaster, June 25, 1908, and a so-called human fly, Babe White, in 1927.

Gazing up at the Tower, you see only one side at a time. Driving from the park entrance to the visitor center offers you views of the different sides. The Tower Trail and other hikes offer changing views of the Tower. Even approaching the Tower from the highway, one is offered varying viewpoints. The myriad faces of the Tower offer us many perspectives of the geologic formation. To truly see the Tower, one must observe it from all perspectives.

To understand the place called Devils Tower also requires many perspectives. Ancient peoples have lived around the Tower for thousands of years; their modern descendants still maintain a connection with this place on a physical and a spiritual level. Oral histories passed down by various American Indian tribes, as well as their present-day ceremonies, offer us important perspectives of the Tower.

The first white settlers and explorers offer us another perspective - how this land was viewed and used during the late 1800s. The Tower and surrounding area received early protection at the behest of Wyoming's first residents and political representatives. It was used as a summer gathering place for locals, drawn to the massive rock just as humans were from antiquity.

More perspectives were added as the Tower received national recognition and protection. The National Park Service was created 10 years after its designation as the first national monument. The dual mission of protecting this place and providing recreation opportunities for the public are an ongoing challenge as people's perspectives of the Tower continue to evolve.

Today, the perspectives of the Tower are as varied as its faces. The park service, American Indians, rock climbers, local residents, and visitors from around the world contribute to these perspectives.

This section of the park website will introduce you to these perspectives. The pages will look at the people who have contributed to the history of the Tower; they will examine the places associated with the site; they will share the stories that contribute to the culture of what became America's first national monument.

For those fascinated with early park history, "The First Fifty Years" (PDF, 47kb,11 pgs.) is a historical report on the monument that includes some of the information found on these web pages. Drafted by historian Ray Mattison in 1955, it contains details on early exploration, settlement and management of the Tower.

Devils Tower National Monument is home to a diverse population of mammals. As you visit the park, step quietly: you may glimpse white-tailed deer ghosting through the ponderosa pine forest, hear the cries of the prairie dog as they scramble into their dens on the floodplain, or see mice dart between boulders at the base of the Tower. One goal of the National Park Service is to maintain the ecological processes that sustain animals and their habitats. We also monitor changes taking place in their populations. Some animals stay in the park for their entire lives. Most travel outside the park boundary. Like many parks, the monument is a small island of refuge amidst a sea of human-dominated landscape. But islands are not immune to the events which occur beyond their borders.

Squirrels, including prairie dogs, are some of the most visible animals at Devils Tower National Monument.

Rodents and shrews comprise the largest variety of species within the park, and the smallest animals by body type!

The cracks and boulders of the Tower, as well as the surrounding forest, are vital to a healthy bat population at Devils Tower.

Many mammals which had a historical presence at the Tower are rare or no longer present in the region.