the wandering chick
...Devils Tower Natl Monument
northeast Wyoming
devils tower from distance
devils tower text
devilstower from a distance

Devils Tower was our first national monument, proclaimed so by President Teddy Roosevelt in 1906.

Folklore surrounds the monument, the most popular being that six Sioux girls were picking flowers when they were chased by bears. Feeling sorry for them, the Great Spirit raised the ground beneath the girls. The bears tried to climb the rock, but fell off, leaving their scratch marks on the sides.

Geologists can't completely agree on how the tower was formed, but they do agree that it did not protrude out of the ground, but rather was uncovered as softer sedimentary rock eroded away, leaving the harder igneous rock as we see it today.

Climbers have been ascending the tower for centuries, and hundreds climb each summer. However, because the tower is sacred ground to several American Indian tribes, a voluntary climbing ban was set for the month of June when tribal ceremonies occur around the tower.

close up of the tower
close up of the tower
closeup of rock
closeup of rock
This is the side of the tower that is closest to the visitor's center and parking lot. You can find tourists climbing these rocks any time of day, but to go further, above the tree line and onto the actual tower's ascent, a climber's registration is required.
column that fell from tower
The huge columns that fall from the tower can be many-sided. They are left in place at the base of the tower.
devils tower
The tower can be viewed from all sides via a 1.3-mile trail around its base.
another view of the tower
land around the tower is red sandstone
the terrain looking out from the tower
The red sandstone terrain that surrounds the tower is, in itself, a pretty impressive sight.
the red sandstone that surrounds the area

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surrounding terrain

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