The stories of Devils Tower National Monument are as varied as the columns which form the massive monolith. The oldest stories are told by the rocks themselves, helping scientists unravel the geologic mystery of the formation. Although oral histories passed down by American Indians explain other viewpoints of the Tower's creation, their importance lies in the links created between this place and its people.
More recently come stories of local white Americans and their relationship with the Tower. They are found in the early days of park service management and the first people to climb to the Tower's summit. Today, people continue to evoke their own connections to the park, whether it be through stories of the past or finding their own story as they experience this place.
Stories of Devils Tower National Monument
Oral Histories
In the 1930's, the importance of Devils Tower to many Plains Indians was recorded in first person narratives.
Stake Ladder
Learn about two local ranchers who dreamed big and accomplished the impossible.
First Technical Climb
On June 27, 1937, Fritz Wiessner, along with Lawrence Coveney and William House proved that the unclimbable was in fact climbable.
The Parachutist
Read about the famous ordeal of George Hopkins being stranded on the summit for six days.
Women Climbers
Whether using the stake ladder or modern techniques, learn about the first women to scale the Tower.
More Stories from the Black Hills
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 Hopa Mountain, in partnership with the National Park Service, is pleased to announce the 2019 awardees of the Connecting with our Homelands travel grants. Twenty-one Indigenous organizations, schools, and nonprofits have been awarded travel funds for trips to national park units across 12 states/territories within the United States.  Activity 1 for Devils Tower National Monument's Virtual Junior Ranger Program. Express your experiences in nature with art.  Activity 6 for Devils Tower National Monument's Virtual Junior Ranger Program. Explore the geology of your own backyard.  Citizen science is reaching new heights as bat biologists enlist the help of rock climbers at Devils Tower National Monument. Park staff and recreational climbers work together to learn how bats are using the Tower for roosting. These efforts are crucial as we continue to research white-nose syndrome and work to protect bats in the Black Hills and around the country.  Bats are amazing animals and a formidable force against insect pests, but a nasty fungal disease is killing them. A coordinated national response brings hope.  In October 2022, fire crew staff completed the Devils Tower West Side prescribed fire project. Funded $160,000 through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the project occurred on the western boundary of the park east to the park road. Its purpose was to remove the build-up of dead fuels and woody herbaceous growth and to encourage growth of native prairie grasses and forbs.  The Cenozoic Era (66 million years ago [MYA] through today) is the "Age of Mammals." North America’s characteristic landscapes began to develop during the Cenozoic. Birds and mammals rose in prominence after the extinction of giant reptiles. Common Cenozoic fossils include cat-like carnivores and early horses, as well as ice age woolly mammoths.  Across the US, changes in water availability are altering which plants grow where. These changes are evident at a broad scale. But not all areas experience the same climate in the same way, even within the boundaries of a single national park. A new dataset gives park managers a valuable tool for understanding why vegetation has changed and how it might change in the future under different climate-change scenarios.  Activity 3 for Devils Tower National Monument's Virtual Junior Ranger Program. Construct your own version of Devils Tower. Become official! Join us by swearing-in as a Devils Tower National Monument Virtual Junior Ranger.
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