DEVILS TOWER
DEVILS TOWER
Devils Tower, which is located in northeastern Wyoming, is a butte composed of igneous rock. It towers 1,267 feet above the Belle Fourche River, 867 feet from base to summit, for a total of 5,112 feet above sea level. Its name came from a misinterpretation of“ Bad God’ s Tower,” a native name. Other Native American names for the tower include“ Bear’ s House,”“ Bear’ s Lodge,”“ Bear’ s Lair,” etc. Many legends exist as to how the tower was formed. According the Native American tribes of the Kiowa and Lakota, a group of girls went out to play and were seen by several giant bears, who then gave chase. To escape the bears, the girls climbed atop a rock, fell to their knees and prayed to the Great Spirit to save them. Hearing their prayers, the Great Spirit made the rock rise from the ground so the bears could not reach them. The bears, trying to climb the rock, left deep claw marks in the sides.
The Tower Trail( 1.3 miles) winds around the base of the tower. Other trails offer different perspectives, including The Red BedsTrail( 2.8 miles), Joyner Ridge Trail( 1.5 miles) and the South Side / Valley View Trails(. 6 miles).
Mato Tipila
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