It feels like a lifetime since we stopped at Devils Tower in Wyoming. My husband has wanted to see Devil’s Tower in person since he was a kid who loved the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and it just happened to be on the road between Mount Rushmore and Yellowstone as we made our way across the country.
Some interesting facts about Devils Tower National Monument:
- Devils Tower is the very first National Monument in the United States. It was the declared a national Monument in 1906 by President Theodore Roosevelt.
- Devils Tower is 867 feet from its base to the summit. It stands 1,267 feet above the Belle Fourche River and is 5,112 feet above sea level.
- The base of the Tower is 1 mile around.
- The summit of the Tower is approximately 1 1/2 acres, about 200 ft. by 400 ft….or about the size of a football field.
- The local Indians had several different names for Devils Tower, including Mato Tipila, meaning Bear Lodge. Other names include Bear’s Tipi, Home of the Bear, Tree Rock and Great Gray Horn. In 1875, on an expedition, an interpreter misinterpreted the name to mean Bad God’s Tower, later shortened to Devils Tower.
- Devils Tower is made up of Phonolite porphyry, which is similar in composition to granite but lacks quartz. You could compare it to a bunch of pencils held together by gravity.
Facts found on the Devils Tower website.
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How awesome, what a neat experience. Love the pics and the facts about the Devils Tower National Monument
Wow! Great pictures, interesting facts and a fun blast from the past (the movie). :-)
That looks like a spectacular place!