Keeping a diary during this expedition, Dodge wrote that the Indians called this place “the tower of the evil god”, a name adopted with the appropriate modifications, so the label Devil's Tower was created. The names we give to places serve more than just to label a map. A name represents the meaning that a place has for a person or a group. It helps us remember what a place is, who lives in it and why it matters. Identify the importance of an area's history.
The name Devil's Tower originated in 1875 during an expedition led by Colonel Richard Irving Dodge, when its interpreter reportedly misunderstood a native name meaning Tower of the Evil God. All information signs in that area use the name Devils Tower, following a geographical naming rule that omits the apostrophe. While each tribe has an interpretation of this extraordinary formation, the name, inspired by a bear, is present in the oral histories of the members of the Plains tribe. In fact, the name “Devil's Tower”, which came about after a member of a scientific expedition misinterpreted the name Bear Lodge with that of “Tower of the Evil Gods”, does not accurately represent this sacred site.
Local tribes wonder why it is still called Devils Tower, and there is a proposal to change the name to Bear Lodge, but it can only be done through congressional action or a presidential proclamation. In 1906, the first national monument in the United States was dedicated and controversy over the name began. Strangely enough, the name Devils Tower may be due to an interpreter misunderstanding the name given by Native Americans. The original interpretation was Bad Gods Tower, known as the Devil's Tower.
Although some parts of the story change depending on the different tribes in the region, each of them includes the presence of a giant bear or a group of bears to justify the vertical cracks along the surface of the Devil's Tower. Devils Tower has also made notable appearances in movies and in pop culture, most notably in Spielberg's 1977 film, “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” where it serves as a spectacular meeting place for human and extraterrestrial contact. If these columnar walls attract your attention, remember the importance of the legend of Devils Tower and respect the ban on climbing them during the month of June. Geologists Carpenter and Russell studied the Devil's Tower at the end of the 19th century and came to the conclusion that it was formed by an igneous intrusion.
The boys make the sisters drive the bear to Devils Tower and trick him into believing that they have climbed the rock. The sacred narratives surrounding the formation and spiritual meaning of Devils Tower continue to be told throughout the centuries of Native American history, and are preserved as a traditional part of Native American culture throughout the region. Understanding what is special about Devils Tower adds another touch of appreciation to your visit to this extraordinary place. As rain and snow continue to erode the sedimentary rocks surrounding the base of the Tower, more parts of Devils Tower will be exposed.
However, instead of returning to their village, the girls ascend to the sky in the form of stars and are transformed into the Pleiades, or star clusters of the “Seven Sisters”, which, if you decide to visit the Devil's Tower at night, are clearly visible just above the monument during the fall. Although some details vary from tribe to tribe, many aspects of First Stories of Devils Tower remain the same. Since Devils Tower was established through Theodore Roosevelt's presidential proclamation, the name can also be changed by a presidential proclamation. If you're looking for things to do near Rapid City, Devils Tower offers a captivating experience worth exploring.
