Devil's Tower: A rock with a dubious reputation. Devils Tower: basalt mountain in the USA Geology of Devils Tower
Devil's Tower is a mysterious monument in the heart of the Great Plains (USA, Wyoming) not far from Yellowstone National Park. Scientists argue over its origin, and local residents invent legends. Some believe this is a UFO landing site. Where could this huge rock in the middle of the plain come from?
But first things first.
Enlarged map of Devil's Tower. (Google maps)
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Devil's Tower on Google maps
The Devil's Tower is located at an altitude of 1556 meters above sea level and rises 386 meters above the surrounding area. It is the first "national monument" of the United States, receiving its status from President Roosevelt in 1906. Every year, 400,000 tourists visit Devil's Tower.
The lines on the tower are so straight that it is difficult to believe that it was not created by man.
In winter, snow practically does not linger on the slopes due to their steepness.
The tower is shrouded in fog and it seems that it is hanging in the air.
The color is highly dependent on lighting and varies from orange to white.
It seems that aliens from other worlds are somewhere nearby.
There is a very beautiful view from the airplane window.
With this lighting, the tower became white.
At night it looks even more mysterious and mystical.
In the Lakota language, the monument is called Mato Tipila, which means House of the Bear or Bear's Den. It received its current name by mistake. In 1875, during an expedition led by Colonel Richard Dodge, the translator mistranslated the words of the Indians. As a result, the monument was first called the House of the Bad God, and later - the Devil's Tower. In 2005, several Native American tribes proposed renaming the monolith Bear Lodge, but their proposal was rejected.
Geologists agree that the tower is formed from volcanic material. But they cannot agree on how it was formed.
According to one version, the territory of the Great Plains was once covered by the sea and sedimentary layers formed at its bottom. At the site where the Devil's Tower is now, molten magma penetrated into the sedimentary rocks from the bowels of the earth. Having pushed apart the sandstones, shales and limestones that made up the seabed, the magma solidified before reaching the surface in the form of a columnar basalt body. After millions of years, the sea gave way to land and rain and wind began to destroy softer sedimentary rocks. And the harder volcanic stock began to rise upward little by little. The basalts from which it is composed, during cooling, turned into picturesque vertical formations, similar to hexagonal pillars. Due to this, the mountain seems to have been created by human hands, or by the hands of the devil, but certainly not by nature.
Other scientists believe that Devils Tower is all that remains from a volcanic eruption. Erosion processes continue to this day, so that part of the tower hidden underground is still waiting in the wings.
The Indians have their own version of the origin of Devil's Tower. According to legend, seven girls were walking in the forest and were attacked by huge angry bears. The girls ran for a long time from the angry animals, but the bears did not lag behind. With the last of their strength, the children climbed onto a small rock and began to utter prayers for salvation to the Great Spirit. The spirit heard the girls' pleas and the stone began to grow rapidly. Thus, the girls began to move away from the bears. Enraged, the animals tried to climb the rock, but they failed. And on the rock forever there were traces of their huge claws. At the same time, the mountain grew and grew upward until the girls were able to step into the sky, where they turned into the stars of the Pleiades.
Nowadays, people continue to engage in myth-making. According to the beliefs of some local residents, the top of the rock is a landing site for UFOs. There are good reasons for this. Unidentified flying objects have been repeatedly spotted in the vicinity of the mountain, and strange light phenomena have been spotted on the top of the rock. Lightning very often strikes the top of the Devil's Tower. And the fact that this damn rock is the only object towering over the area is not an argument for them.
Devil's Tower was considered impregnable for a long time. It was first climbed by two local farmers at the end of the 19th century. They used ladders rather than climbing equipment to climb. The climber's ascent took place only in 1938. It was Jack Durance. The third person to climb the inaccessible rock was professional parachutist George Hopkins, who reached the top of the mountain from above in 1941. He jumped out of the plane with a parachute. The landing was successful, but getting down from the Tower was not as easy as Hopkins thought. The ropes that were dropped to him from the planes fell by or were damaged by hitting the rocks. It was not possible to use a helicopter or airship due to bad weather conditions. The paratrooper was captured on a rock.
Jack Durance before jumping to Devil's Tower.
In my opinion, in 1941 the Americans didn’t have these yet.)))
All of America was talking about this news. As it turned out, none of the climbers could climb to the top of the rock. I had to look for Jack Durance. In the end, he saved Hopkins by climbing the mountain again.
Today the Tower is very popular among climbers and climbers. And interest in it continues to grow. A considerable number of routes have already been laid to the top of the Tower. The structure of the rock is very unusual, and therefore the climbing technique also requires additional skills. For example, the ability to move across terrain in a spread and crack climbing.
Video: “Conquest of the Devil's Tower”
Of the 400,000 tourists who visit Devil's Tower each year, only one percent decides to climb to the top. But the Indians are against crowds of tourists climbing to the top of the rock, since it is sacred to them. Therefore, most climbers do not climb here in June. At this time, the Indians hold their ceremonies.
You can get to Devil's Tower: in the USA by any (road, air, rail) mode of transport to the city of Rapid City (or Gillette in the northeast of Wyoming); then only by car up to the hill.
At the end, as always, I bring to your attention a short video.
Finally, I would like to say that this mountain appears in films about aliens. Such as: “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” (1977) - Steven Spielberg and “Paul” (2011) - Greg Mottola.
That's it for sure now!!! And to hell with it, with this tower!
Devil's Tower - the most mysterious rock in America
A huge basalt pillar right in the middle of the plain with the ominous name of Devil's Tower has been attracting climbers from all over the world to Wyoming for more than a hundred years. But with an altitude of only 386 meters, not many daredevils conquered it. How can you not believe in mysticism?
When you first look at this mountain rising right in the middle of the Great Plains, associations come to mind with some extremely hypertrophied stump or a tower erected by some crazy architect. Its impeccably regular shape and incredible size make this mountain formation almost the main attraction of the state of Wyoming, which is sparse in spectacular places. It is no coincidence that back in 1906, a National Park was created in the area surrounding the Devil’s Tower, and the peak itself acquired the status of a National Monument.
The Indians called this mountain Mata Tipila, which translated means “House of the Bear.” To this day, the time-worn legend of seven girls who were attacked by a bear during a carefree walk in the forest is still circulating in mythology collections. Desperate to escape from the enraged beast, the girls climbed onto a rock and began to pray for salvation from above. As a result, the stone grew to the very sky, and the girls descended from it directly onto the celestial plateau and became the stars of the Pleiades. No matter how hard the bear tried to climb the mountain, he failed, and the longitudinal marks from his claws remaining on the surface of the stone are direct evidence of his ethereal attempts to taste innocent child flesh. Looking at this wonderful rock, you involuntarily agree with the way of thinking of the indigenous people: something very large, evil and otherworldly really lives here.
The nature of the origin of this unique object is shrouded in mystery and a thick layer of dust. Scientists say that Devil's Tower is nothing more than the remains of an impressive mountain range that suffered a crushing defeat in a battle with time and adverse weather conditions. Two hundred million years ago, the Great Plain was entirely covered by sea. Magma, which penetrated into the thickness of the seabed from the seething bowels of the earth, became the impetus for the formation of a columnar basalt body. Over time, the sea that dominated here subsided, exposing basalt formations that once appeared at the very bottom, and time, merciless to all living and even inanimate things, taking erosion as an ally, destroyed even the basalt. This version is supported by fragments of rocks scattered here and there throughout the foot of the majestic tower. Pieces fell away, but the base itself, which is a gigantic stone pillar, still amazes tourists from all over the world to this day.
There is another, much less plausible, but captivating with a mystical aura, version of the origin of the Devil’s Tower. The correct shape of the rock suggests that someone did a good job on it besides nature, and since people in those days were unable to erect such “construction” objects, the idea of the intervention of higher powers takes place in the human mind . It is clear that God has nothing to do with it - the object is too gloomy and ominous to be the fruit of divine intervention. But the Devil...
The Indians who lived nearby considered the Devil to be the owner of this amazing mountain. The consciousness of the aborigines placed him at the very top and endowed him with the ability to cause thunder and lightning, mercilessly striking people with fiery arrows. It is likely that lightning claimed many human lives over several centuries, and the Indians generously shared their knowledge with the first white settlers. Actually, the latter should be credited with the authorship of the modern name of the mountain – Devil`s Tower.
Moving away from primitive beliefs in some kind of all-powerful Devil who found refuge on the top of a majestic mountain, people’s consciousness began to look for the nature of the mysterious light anomalies that regularly reveal themselves at the top, in the plane of contact with an alien civilization and consider the top as a landing site for flying objects from other planets. This curious version became widespread after Steven Spielberg’s wonderful film “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” in which a UFO lands right on that very peak.
Numerous rumors about the unclean origin of the mountain peak do not in the least deter ambitious climbers, in whose dreams the conquest of the Devil's Tower occupies about the same place as a Royal Flush in the hands of a poker player. The height of the Tower is 386 meters - this is higher than the famous Empire State Building in New York, but by mountaineering standards there is nothing extraordinary in these figures. Much greater heights were also conquered. The difficulty in the case of the Devil's Tower comes from its sheer walls: getting to the top is not just difficult, but incredibly difficult, and even more difficult to get back, since the descent is much more dangerous than the ascent. Plus, the danger of falling boulders from great heights is still relevant.
Every attempt to conquer an inaccessible peak involves a huge risk to life. The pioneer was one of the local residents, but this happened back in the 19th century, and there is absolutely no way to confirm this information now. Almost a century later, in 1938, this feat was repeated by Jack Durrance.
The third conqueror of the ominous Tower was George Hopkins, but unlike his predecessors, he conquered it from the air. The experienced parachutist desired worldwide fame, but found himself hostage to the devilish peak: he successfully landed on the mountain, but the euphoria of success soon gave way to a complete lack of constructive solutions to the problem of descending to the ground. The parachutist became a prisoner of the rock.
The same Durrance came to the rescue, leading a mountaineering expedition to rescue the ambitious parachutist.
All of America was talking about this news. Crowds of tourists and onlookers surrounded the Tower, and the prisoner gave an interview on live radio. Soon, dozens of planes were circling the air, dropping free food and equipment provided by manufacturing companies for promotional purposes on Hopkins. Tired of dodging falling objects, the paratrooper began begging on the radio to stop the bombing, especially since most of the objects were still falling into the abyss.
Devil's Tower
Despite the abundance of food, in the rain and piercing wind, Hopkins' strength quickly left him. In addition, it turned out that the inaccessible granite rock was inhabited by rats, which became more impudent every night. A specially created committee to rescue Hopkins called in experienced mountaineer Ernst Field and his partner Gorrell from Colorado for a rescue operation. But the team of climbers, after visual reconnaissance and 3 hours of ascent, were forced to return and abandon further attempts. Field admitted: “This damn block is too tough for us!”
It seemed incredible - professionals conquer peaks higher than 8000 m, but are powerless before a height of 390 m! The committee began looking for Jack Durrance through the press, and only a day later he was found on the east coast in Dartmouth. Another day later, he arrived and began preparing for the ascent along the old route, only known to him. At exactly noon the ascent to the Devil's Tower began. Despite the fact that the top of the rock was covered with thick fog, climbers under the leadership of Durrance reached the top and, using special equipment, lowered the exhausted parachutist down. In total, Hopkins remained a prisoner of the Tower for about a week.
After the long-awaited descent to the ground, Hopkins, who languished on the mountain for a week, told the whole world about entire hordes of huge rats that had settled at the very top. If there is no life there, then the question of what these insatiable creatures can feed on remains open.
Of the 400,000 tourists who visit Devil's Tower each year, only one percent decides to climb to the top. But the Indians are against crowds of tourists climbing to the top of the rock, since it is sacred to them. Therefore, most climbers do not climb here in June. At this time, the Indians hold their ceremonies.
Today the Tower is very popular among climbers and climbers. A considerable number of routes have already been laid to the top of the Tower. In terms of its structure, the rock relief is very unusual, and therefore the climbing technique also requires additional skills, for example, the ability to move along the relief in a thrust. Also, a lot of crevice climbing.
Routes to the Devil's Tower
You can get to Devil's Tower: in the USA by any (road, air, rail) mode of transport to the city of Rapid City (or Gillette in the northeast of Wyoming); then only by car up to the hill.
Years pass, and the rock still majestically rises above the Great Plain, maintaining such an attractive mystical aura around itself. From time to time, mysterious glows are observed in the sky above it, eyewitness accounts of unidentified flying objects are recorded, researchers speculate about the mysterious purpose of the Tower, assigning it the role of almost a new Noah’s Ark during the coming apocalypse or a corridor to another dimension still unknown to us. Many questions, the answers to which are known only to God. Or is it the Devil?
Devils Tower (Devils Tower)
Devil's Tower is a natural monument in the Belle Fourche River valley in Wyoming, USA.
It is a monolith of volcanic origin with a height of 1558 m above sea level (386 m above the river valley) and a relative height of 265 m. It is the first object to be recognized as a “national monument” in the United States, receiving its status from President Theodore Roosevelt on September 24, 1906.
The “Devil's Tower” was formed from a magmatic melt that rose from the depths of the Earth and froze in the form of graceful columns. The age of the most ancient geological deposits present on the territory of the natural monument is estimated from 225 to 195 million years. The host rocks are dark red sandstones and silts with shale layers.
The Devil's Tower rock is rightfully considered one of the most mysterious and mysterious places on Earth. In addition to its ancient origin, the rock’s unusual location makes it colorful: it is located on a plateau, and there is not even anything resembling a hill nearby. Thus, the rock stands out against the background of its surroundings. There are other, more mysterious versions of the origin of the Devil's Tower.
By the way, this extraordinary rock has several names... According to one of the Indian legends, one day, seven local girls walking in the forest were attacked by a bear. The ferocious, enraged animal chased the children, not lagging behind them for a moment. Desperate girls climbed onto a small rock and began to pray to the Great Spirit for salvation. The spirit heard the girls and helped their trouble: miraculously the stone began to grow and the innocent children standing on it moved away from the animal to a safe distance. The bear tried fiercely to climb the rock, but failed. Nowadays, traces from the claws of a fierce beast serve as reminders of this legend. The mountain grew upward until it hit the firmament. Then the girls moved from her to the sky and became the stars of the Pleiades. This legend gave rise to the mythical name of the mountain - Bear's Den.
This is not the only Indian legend. There is another one, according to which the rock was created by an evil demon. This evil one sat on top and beat a drum, creating thunder and lightning. Most Indians believed in the dark essence of the mountain, so representatives of the Indian people tried not to settle near the Tower of the Bad God. The rock officially received the name “Tower of the Bad God” back in 1875, thanks to explorer Richard Dodge. It is surprising that in some Indian tribes, on the contrary, the rock was treated with respect.
Modernity has given rise to science fiction views on the origins of the rock. So, some people, not unreasonably, began to assume that at its top there is a landing strip for a UFO to land. More than once, inexplicable flashes of light and unidentified flying objects nearby in the sky were discovered at this place. This version was even filmed by the famous director Steven Spielberg in the film “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”.
The inaccessible rock was first conquered by local daredevils at the end of the 19th century. His feat was not repeated soon. In 1938, professional climber Jack Durrance climbed the rock. For the third time, skydiver George Hopkins conquered the mountain by parachuting to its top. However, his rejoicing did not last long, because... The conqueror of the rock was unable to descend from it on his own. Ropes were dropped from planes to Hopkins, but they broke when struck by rocks or fell by altogether. Bad weather conditions ruled out rescue options by air force. So, the rock captivated the would-be parachutist.
Because of this news, all of America went wild. Some companies began to use the parachutist's deplorable situation for advertising purposes, dropping him products under their brand. Heavy rains and wind completely exhausted the prisoner, whom even experienced climbers Ernst Field and Gorrell tried to save... In the end, Hopkins' savior turned out to be Jack Durrance, the same one who was the previous conqueror of the ill-fated rock. Jack and a team of professional climbers stormed it, and soon the cradle with the weakened paratrooper was lowered to the ground. Hopkins was held captive for about 7 days.
In 1906, the current US President Theodore Roosevelt ordered the establishment of a park in the area surrounding the Devil's Tower. This is how the country’s first National Park appeared, and the unique rock was established as a national monument.
Hundreds of thousands of tourists visit the Devil's Tower every year. And only a few thousand brave mountaineering travelers decide to conquer its peak.
(Devils Tower National Monument) is an unusual natural formation in the US state of Wyoming, which was formed by solidified lava and looks like a mesa. It rises almost 400 meters above the beautiful plain, which has received the status of a National Monument (in our language it is called a nature reserve) and is a sacred mountain for many. Devil's Tower is interesting primarily for its unusual shape and is a unique geological formation. And although it is located in a sparsely populated area in the north central part of the United States, we wanted to see it so much that we went there by car, making quite a detour on our route around the United States.
Getting to Devil's Tower wasn't all that easy for us, but it was definitely worth driving several thousand miles from where we started our trip. After all, what is Devil's Tower? It is a true wonder of nature, just like in Arizona. Compared to the world-famous Yellowstone Park and its smaller brother Grand Teton, Devils Tower also claims to be the main attraction, which is definitely worth seeing not only with your own eyes, but also, perhaps, to conquer as a climber.
(or Devils Tower, English Devils Tower) is the very first National Monument in the USA and, perhaps, the most memorable. This volcanic mountain is a real natural miracle - a huge block of volcanic origin reaching towards the stars. By the way, it is also known in our country under its English name – Devils Tower, which is official and commonly used.
Unfortunately, this interesting landmark of Wyoming is located quite far from traditional tourist routes in the United States, in the middle of countless fields. However, about 400 thousand people visit it annually. To be more precise, Devil's Tower is located in northeastern Wyoming, near the towns of Gillette ( Gillette) and Morecraft ( Moorcraft). As you probably already understood, you will have to travel a very long way, but it will be incredibly interesting!
Basic information:
| Name | Devils Tower National Monument Devils Tower National Monument |
| Where is | Crook County, Wyoming, USA |
| Address | Hwy 110 Bldg 170 Devils Tower, WY 82714, USA |
| GPS coordinates | 44° 35′ 25″ N, 104° 42′ 55″ W 44.590278°, -104.715278° |
| What is | Monolithic mountain of volcanic origin |
| When was it formed | About 200 million years ago |
| Working hours | Every day around the clock, except Christmas and New Year's Day |
| Attendance | 400,000 people per year |
| Ticket price | Weekly ticket - $10 per car Weekly ticket - $5 per motorcycle Weekly ticket - $5 per cyclist or pedestrian Annual subscription – $20 Annual pass to all US national parks – $80 |
| Hikes and trails | Tower Trail 1.3 mi (2 km) Red Beds Trail 2.8 mi (4.5 km) Joyner Trail 1.5 mi (2.4 km) |
| Official site | https://www.nps.gov/deto/index.htm |
In addition to the fact that Devils Tower is a unique natural monument, it is also the oldest national monument in the United States. But it is also very deprived of the attention of Russian-speaking tourists, because few people dare to travel to Devils Tower through several states just to admire it.
An amazing coincidence, but the same can be said about another national monument in Idaho, which was among the very first to be discovered. This is about . What the two American beauties also have in common is that both attractions are of volcanic origin. But if the lunar craters show us the living history of volcanoes, of which there are, in principle, many on Earth, then Devils Tower is the only work of nature of this kind.
Devils Tower on a map of the USA
Now we’ll tell you how to get to the Devil’s Tower. This can only be done by car. If you're traveling within the US, it's pretty easy. Take Wyoming Highway 24 (see map below). There is only one single entrance to Devil's Tower from the road, so you won't miss it. There are many signs along the highway indicating the approach to the first US National Monument. Keep in mind that it is open to the public 24 hours a day all year round, with the exception of two holidays - Christmas and New Year.
Road map to Devil's Tower
Photo of Devil's Tower from the road
We continue our journey across the USA by car, and now we are approaching the Devil's Tower. And you can see it from afar! Everyone stops at the observation deck and takes a few photos. We stopped too.
Scientists disagree on the matter Origin of Devils Tower in Wyoming. There is also debate about its age, but in general there is an opinion that it is at least 50 million years old. The lower mountain, which was formed first, is not visible to the human eye. And there are debates about the reasons for its occurrence.
The only thing that can be said definitely is that we see two parts of the Devils Tower:
- A tall, shapeless stone pedestal;
- The formation directed upward to the sky, standing on this pedestal, which is famous throughout the world.
There is also no agreement about how the pillars that make up the Devil's Tower were formed. One version: when magma bubbled in the depths of the Earth, it forced rock to come out. And at first it looked like an eruption, traces of which we see around us and this can be judged by the shape of the second, middle part. And then for some reason the breed went up.
The stress accompanying the new state of the rock created voids, and then they led to a split within the rock. I don't know if this theory is true or not, but the other one is not. And there is an amazing mountain. Why did she go upstairs?
Indian legends about Devil's Tower
Indian legends about Devil's Tower say that once seven sisters were walking in the local forest and did not notice a bear. And when they saw it, they began to pray to the small mountain to save them. The mountain heard the call and answered. The girls rose to great heights. The bear, of course, tried to get them: that’s how stripes appeared on the surface of the mountain. However, the girls could no longer go down to their relatives, because the mountain turned out to be very high! And then they were taken to heaven, and they became stars, the constellation Pleiades. And today we look at this Devil’s Tower that has grown out of the ground and do not understand how it was formed.
The Indian legend about Devil's Tower in the painting: a bear climbing the mountain
There are many legends about the Pleiades, almost every nation. And the Indians too. So the legendary version tells the same thing as the scientists. The mountain grew out of the ground. Are the Pleiades and the local Indians connected? Usually yes. Each tribe has its own stories and stories about the main stars.
And the Indians don’t like the English name Devils Tower ( Devils Tower) of this area, which is associated with the mountain. For them this is a "Bear's Place". And to this day, on the Solstice, many different tribes come to the mountain and perform their rituals and pray.
Camping at Devil's Tower and Spielberg's film
Steven Spielberg filmed his film Close Encounters of the Third Kind at Devils Tower. And he was very close to the legends of the Indians, but interpreted them differently. He told a story not about someone being taken to heaven, but about someone flying from there. Perhaps he's coming back. After all, the tales of many tribes speak about this.
Here's what art director Joe Alves has to say about Devils Tower and the film today:
At the campsite where we settled right at the foot of the Tower, every evening, at dusk, a Spielberg film is shown in order to acquaint visitors even closer with the history of this unusual US National Monument. Before watching the film, we set up a tent, went on two treks around Devils Tower, washed clothes in the laundromat and cooked dinner on a gas burner.
We stayed overnight at the KOA campground near Devils Tower
Let's quickly go for a walk to the Devil's Tower itself!
Visit Devils Tower in Wyoming
To look at Devils Tower from all sides, you need to take the only road to the visitor center. Several trails start from there. One of them leads around the Devil's Tower, and allows you to get acquainted in detail with this extraordinary natural creation. Other trails allow you to get an impression of the surrounding area and admire the mountain from afar.
- First trail - Tower trail 2 km long, goes around the mountain itself;
- Second trail - Red beds trail longer - about 5 km, and it offers wonderful views of the valley.
Mount Devil's Tower rises 1,552 meters above sea level (but only 386 meters above ground level), and you can hike around it and explore it in more detail. To do this, it is proposed to go for a walk along one of two trails. We completed both hiking trails and were amazed by the local beauty.
You can also climb to the top of the Tower, of course, if you are an experienced climber. After all, some of them come here from all over the world precisely for this.
Scheme of hiking routes for trekking around Devil's Tower
Devils Tower National Monument trail map (clickable!)
For more information about Devils Tower National Monument in Wyoming, visit the monument's official website. There you can also find out what opportunities are available to visitors, find out the latest news, create a program for your visit and plan your visit, including booking a campsite.
First trail - Tower trail
The Tower Trail goes around a tall volcanic mountain. It seemed that it was not that wide, but we walked for quite a long time, admiring the views around us, the nature and how the Devil’s Tower changes depending on the lighting and viewing angle.
Do not forget that the territory of the National Monument is a sacred place for the Indians
Coniferous trees predominate here
And we also looked at the stones in the autumn meadow
People, ah!? Climbers climb Devil's Tower
After seeing enough autumn nature in Wyoming, we headed to the exit
Second trail – Red beds trail (photo of part of the trail)
This route leads away from Devils Tower itself, allowing you to experience the beauty of Wyoming and other evidence of volcanic activity, like rock mushrooms or the red formation from which the trail gets its name. The same formations surround the campsite, so we, seeing that the day was sunset, decided to call it a day and head back.
And what we found especially beautiful during our walk were the views of the river valley stretching under the mountain.
There he is, in the distance, like a huge mushroom on a thin stalk
But most importantly, it offers stunning views of the river.
And the ground around is really red. It was in honor of these red formations that the trail got its name.
We were very surprised by this rock, on which pine trees grow, and swallows live in it
Stunning views
Autumn is gradually coming into its own
Our impressions: We loved Devils Tower National Monument so much that we didn't want to leave. We recommend visiting this amazing place to everyone who has the opportunity while traveling around the USA. We could have hit a couple more trails and spent time at a comfortable campsite, but we had to hurry. After all, other attractions of Wyoming awaited us ahead.
What else to see in Wyoming besides Devils Tower
In addition to the Devils Tower, that is, the Devil's Tower, there are many more interesting places in Wyoming that are worth visiting and which have made this state famous throughout the world:
- The state itself is very beautiful, we wrote a detailed article about it that we did on the road;
- And of course, the most famous state park is;
- And we can’t help but mention its picturesque neighbor.
We wish you interesting travels around the USA!
We didn't go to Wyoming to go to Sundance and learn about history.
Sundance Kid. Twenty-seven miles from the city of Sundance rises an amazing
and a mysterious rock called Devil's Tower.
This unique natural structure is a high, about 400
meters, an unusual looking rock that resembles a giant stump,
or a giant fortress tower. The diameter of the rock at the base is
three hundred meters, at the top about eighty meters.
But even more than the unusual appearance of this rock, people are always
I was struck by the absolute illogicality of the appearance of the Devil's Tower among the endless
plain, which stretches here for many hundreds of kilometers. After all, it
there is only one here and there are no other rock formations in the area. Scientists
Such mountains are called “geological units.”
The rock has such a regular shape that it’s hard to believe
in the naturalness of its origin. Devil's Tower was a place
religious worship of the American Indian tribes even before the advent of
they have writing.
The Indians believed that the devil lived on the top of this mountain and when he
gets angry with people, then he arranges his dances with thunder and lightning upstairs.
Even the Egyptian pyramids seem like very small structures
compared to this tower-like rock.
The Indians called this rock Mateo Tepi, which means Grizzly Bear's Den.
The first white surveyors who discovered it in 1875 gave it the name
Devil's Tower, based on another Indian name, Tower of Bad
God.
The Indians have a number of legends associated with the mysterious origin
Devil's Towers. Several tribes inhabited this area throughout
many years, and they all tell similar legends about the emergence
miracle rocks.
According to one of them, seven girls were walking in the forest when they
a giant bear attacked. The children tried to run away, but the bear did not lag behind.
In desperation, they climbed onto a low rock and prayed for salvation.
Great Spirit. And the Great Spirit heard them: suddenly a stone slab, on which
the girls climbed up and began to rapidly grow upward. The grizzly roared from
rage, and, scratching the rock with his claws, tried to get to the children, but
he failed, but traces of his sharp claws remained on the Tower
Devil. At the same time, the mountain grew and grew upward until the girls could not
step into the sky, where the Pleiades turned into stars.
By the way, since Devil's Tower is the tallest building
given area, then lightning very often strikes its top, which causes
the appearance of various light anomalies. In addition, at its top there are local
residents have repeatedly seen a strange glow. All this gave rise to
ufologists and lovers of the unknown hypothesis that this rock is
cosmodrome for UFO landing.
In the 20th century, mystical theories of the origin of the rock were replaced by scientific
fantastic.In 1977, Devils Tower acquired an international
fame, becoming a landing site for representatives of extraterrestrial civilization
in Steven Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
Stills from the film "Close Encounters of the Third Kind".
Geologists quite easily solved the mystery of the origin of the Tower
Devil. The fact is that 200 million years ago this area was
seabed. The bottom of this sea consisted of a huge thickness of sedimentary rocks.
Once upon a time, molten liquid was introduced into this thickness from the bowels of the earth.
magmatic mass. After the magma solidified, it formed
a columnar basalt body, which in science is called a stock.
Several million years passed and the sea retreated, sedimentary
the rocks were destroyed, gradually exposing the basalt formation.
Other scientists believe that Devils Tower is all that remains
from a volcanic eruption. Erosion processes continue to this day
day, so part of the tower is hidden underground and still waiting in the wings.
For many years, Devil's Tower remained inaccessible to climbers
largely due to its unusual structure. The first time it was conquered by a local
resident at the end of the 19th century. It is not known how, but he, with practically no equipment,
climbed to the top of the rock. Unfortunately, the name of this daredevil was erased
time.
The next time a person visited the top of the Tower was only in 1938.
This time the ascent was made by a fairly experienced climber, Jack Durance.
And many years later, the already elderly Durrance had to conquer the peak a second time.
He led a group of rescue climbers who were supposed to remove
parachutist landing on top of Devil's Tower.
Parachutist George Hopkins (pictured) wanted to gain world fame,
becoming the third conqueror of the top of the Devil's Tower. Moreover, he did not intend
climb a rock along steep walls, but decided to land on it with a parachute.
Although Hopkins was warned about the danger of his plan, he decided to take the risk
and successfully landed at the very top. And then it turned out that the experienced parachutist
clearly overestimated his strength and cannot go down to the plain. Remove him using
It was not possible to get a helicopter because a hurricane wind was constantly blowing at the top of the rock.
So he became a prisoner of the rock. The news of this spread throughout America.
Crowds of people surrounded the Tower, and the captive TV star poured out witticisms in a live
radio broadcast. Everyone liked the joke that all he needed was Eva, so that if
there, below, the flood will give rise to a new branch of humanity. Soon there will be dozens
planes circled in the air, dropping food and equipment on Hopkins.
Tired of dodging falling objects, the parachutist began to beg on the radio
stop the bombing, especially since most of what is being dropped anyway
flew into the abyss. Despite the abundance of food, the strength quickly left the prisoner.
To his horror, it turned out that the inaccessible smooth granite rock was inhabited by rats,
who became more and more impudent every night. A specially created Committee
to rescue Hopkins, called in an experienced climber for a rescue operation
Ernst Field and his partner Gorrell from Colorado. But the climbers after
hours of visual reconnaissance and three hours of ascent were forced to return
and give up further attempts. Field admitted: “We need this damn
the boulder is too tough!" It seemed incredible - these professionals conquered the peaks
height of more than 8000 m, but were powerless in front of a height of only 400
meters. The committee began looking for Jack Durrance through the press and only later
day they found him. Soon he arrived and began preparations for climbing the
the old route, known to him alone. At exactly noon the assault began,
and, although the summit was shrouded in fog, the climbers, led by Durrance
got to the top, and then lowered down on a climbing cradle
exhausted parachutist. In total, Hopkins was a prisoner
Towers for about a week.
Years have passed, and today, the previously impregnable Devil's Tower is one of the most
popular objects among climbers.
This became possible thanks to the emergence of a new, more modern
equipment, as well as increased professionalism among the climbers themselves.
The steep walls of the rock are literally dotted with a variety of routes,
along which several hundred ascents to the top have already been made.
On the day of our arrival, we also observed one of these ascents
and I even tried to take a few pictures at that moment. But, probably
these climbers were not experienced, since all their attempts were unsuccessful
success.
For many Indian tribes, this rock was deeply revered as a saint.
a place of search and acquisition of sacred knowledge. The Indians still come
to the Devil's Tower to conduct their sacred rituals. The most famous
The festival, the Sun Dance, is held here in June, around the solstice.
In this regard, there is even an unofficial agreement among climbers
Do not come to Devil's Tower at this time.
The sign reads: "The tower is considered sacred by the American Indians.
and is highly valued by other peoples. Respect this place..."
When you look at the edges of a mountain from below and see debris piled up at the foot
and the columns leaning here and there, it seems that the structure is very unstable.
However, according to scientists, the last break of such a column occurred around
ten thousand years ago.
Despite the notoriety, or maybe precisely because of it, every year to the Tower
About five hundred thousand tourists from all over the world come to the Devil. Of course,
not all of them climb to the top of the rock, but mostly inspect
from below or from sightseeing planes.
The area around Devil's Tower became the First National Park of the United States.
This status was awarded to him by President Roosevelt in 1906.
