The Devils Tower National Monument was our next adventure, only one hour drive from the Elkhorn Ridge RV Resort in Spearfish, SD. The Devils Tower also known as Bear Lodge Butte, by the Native Americans, located in the Black Hills of Wyoming. It rises 1,267 feet above the Belle Fourche River, and stands 867 feet from summit to base, the summit is 5,112 feet above sea level. Quite an impressive monolith. Devils Tower was the first US national monument, established on September 24, 1906, by President Theodore Roosevelt. The name Devil’s Tower originated in 1875 by Colonel Richard Dodge, and the Native American names include “Bear’s House” or Bear’s Lodge”,”Tree Rock”, “Aloft on a Rock” and some others. There are many theories as to how Devils Tower was formed, the latest theory suggested that it is a volcanic plug, or the neck of an extinct volcano. The first known ascent of Devils Tower occurred on July 4, 1893, by William Rogers and Willard Ripley. They built a ladder of wooden pegs driven into cracks in the rock face, a few of these pegs are still intact and are visible from the Tower Trail. We hiked along the 1.3 mile trail discovering the many shades of the rock columns, and watching the climbers ascending the rock. The Tower is sacred to several Plains tribes, and therefore the climbers agreed not to climb during the month of June when the tribes are conducting ceremonies around the monument. It was a beautiful day exploring Devils Tower and the land around it. Click on thumbnail to view images
