The nation’s first national monument, Devils Tower, looms prominently over the Belle Fourche River in a place where the pine forests of the Black Hills merge with the grasslands of the rolling plains. This imposing formation, located 28 miles northwest of Sundance off WYO 24, is a stump-shaped cluster of rock columns 1,000 feet across the bottom and 275 feet across the top.
The cluster rises 1,280 feet above the valley to a height of 5,117 feet above sea level. With its sides appearing to have been gouged by the claws of some giant beast, the stump-shaped tower of rocks has captured people’s attention for centuries.
Devils Tower played an important role in the legend and folklore of Native Americans. It became a landmark to stalwart explorers and travelers pushing their way west from the Black Hills region. Long noted for its beauty and grandeur, Devils Tower was proclaimed a national monument on September 24, 1906 by President Theodore Roosevelt. The most recent fame for Devils Tower came as the site where the spaceship landed in the popular movie, Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
To find the tower, visitors traveling on Interstate 90 need to exit at Sundance or Moorcroft and take U.S. 14 north to U.S. 24. Devils Tower is a short distance up U.S. 24. Visitors can find information about the area at the Devils Tower Visitor Center, located three miles from the park’s entrance.
Hiking and climbing are popular activities around the tower, which is located in northeastern Wyoming near the Black Hills National Forest. The monument area has a prairie dog town, which is a treat for young and old. About a dozen cultural programs are scheduled at Devils Tower from May through September.
Nearby towns offer many other choices for visitors. You can see Devils Tower from the tee at the town of Hulett’s new golf course. The general store in the town of Aladdin is more than 100 years old. You’ll want to get a picture of the family seated out front on the “Liar’s Bench.”
About the Area
Any story about Wyoming or the Old West wouldn’t be complete without including a chapter about the part of Wyoming that lies on the east slope of the Big Horn Mountains. It’s a story about the region’s colorful past – a history filled with conflict between Indian and white man, rancher and homesteader.
The first white men known to visit the area were those in the Wilson Price Hunt (Astorian) Party in 1811. Many years passed before others arrived. Crow, Sioux, Cheyenne and other Indians inhabited the area and sought control of this tremendous hunting ground where elk, deer, buffalo and antelope were abundant. Early conflicts between Indians, trappers and traders occurred when small parties began trapping the streams in the area, now known as Johnson County.
This area was in the heart of Indian territory, established by a treaty signed in 1851. The treaty was violated many times, especially by emigrants on their way to Montana gold fields in the 1860s. Seeking the easiest way for prospectors, John W. Bozeman established his route through the Powder River Country in 1864. Increased travel on this trail and numerous violations of the treaty precipitated a series of battles. Indian skirmishes gave way to range wars, and later, tranquility as the country became increasingly settled and civilized. In 1868, Nelson Story was one of the first to drive Texas cattle over the Bozeman Trail into Montana and cattle soon replaced buffalo on the lush grazing lands.
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