Writer M. Scott Momaday once waxed poetic about Devils Tower, proclaiming "There are things in nature that engender an awful quiet in the heart of man." President Theodore Roosevelt showed his love of preservation (and an economy of words) when he declared this "lofty and isolated rock" a national monument 100 years ago. Thirty years ago, Steven Spielberg celebrated the monument's otherworldly appeal by choosing Devils Tower as the UFO landing site in his movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
This 1,267-foot bulwark - declared the first national monument 100 year ago by President Theodore Roosevelt - has long inspired Native Americans, rock climbers, moviemakers and writers to fervent fascination.
For many Plains Indians tribes, the monolith is a sacred place known as Bear's Lodge or Bear's Tipi. Legends surround its creation. One of the most evocative stories, from the Kiowa tradition, tells of seven little girls who were chased by a bear. As the girls leapt onto a small rock, it began to grow toward the sky. The bear tried to catch the girls, but it fell short, its claw marks scratching the tower. And the girls? They became
Devils Tower National Monument Wagner Perspective
the stars of the Black Hills sky - the Big Dipper, some say, or the Pleiades.
For most of its 400,000 or so annual visitors, Devils Tower is a stopover on the way to or from Yellowstone National Park to the west or Mt. Rushmore National Monument to the east. For some, Devils Tower is a destination in itself. Native Americans still visit, and you may see signs of their pilgrimages in colorful bits of prayer cloth tied to trees. Devils Tower is a magnet for rock climbers, too. Each year, between 4,000 and 5,000 people ascend the tower - less than half make it all the way to the summit. Other favorite visitor activities include camping, watching the black-tailed prairie dogs at play in their town near the Belle Fourche River, and hiking around the monument's base.
One August day a few years ago, Momaday's words came back to me when I visited Devils Tower during the annual Sturgis motorcycle rally. I cursed my timing, found a remote parking spot, then threaded my way through the party atmosphere around the visitor center. But once I approached the tower itself, I felt
Belle Fourche River near Devils Tower Matthew Idler
the mood shift. Many people were traversing the trails, but most were quiet. The tower's bulk and the shifting play of light and shadow on its sheer walls inspired reflection for many visitors, and awe for some. Even on the busiest day of the summer, Devils Tower commands respect.
Centennial Celebration
Devils Tower has passed one century as a national monument, and millennia more as a sacred spot in Native American culture. The site will mark its centennial as a national monument with these events:
Friday, September 22 - At 6 p.m., Theodore Roosevelt re-enactor Mark Klemetsrud will talk about the president's boyhood.
Saturday, September 23 - From 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Devils Tower's natural and cultural resources will be celebrated in displays and presentations. At 4 p.m., Mark Klemetsrud will depict Teddy Roosevelt as "A Conservation President." The Little Sun/High Eagle Drum and Dance Group from the Wind River Reservation will perform at 6 p.m.
Sunday, September 24 - Theodore Roosevelt IV will be the keynote speaker at the centennial commemoration program at the picnic area. The 1 p.m. program will also feature performances by area high school bands and the Little Sun/High Eagle Drum and Dance Group. A reception will follow.
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