Devils Tower - Wyoming
by Susan Rissi Tregoning
Title
Devils Tower - Wyoming
Artist
Susan Rissi Tregoning
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
Bison and a Texas Longhorn graze on the grasslands in front of Devils Tower in the Black Hills of Wyoming.
This remarkable geological butte is sacred to the Northern Plains Indians and other indigenous communities, who refer to the tower as Bear Lodge, Ghost Mountain, or Mythic-Owl Mountain. The butte received its name in 1875 during an expedition led by Colonel Richard Irving Dodge when the interpreter mistakenly translated its native name to mean “Bad God’s Tower.”
In 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt designated Devils Tower as the first national monument in the United States, making Wyoming home to both the first national monument and the first national park, Yellowstone.
Different hypotheses exist about the creation of Devils Tower; however, the prevailing belief is that it formed about 50 million years ago when molten lava penetrated layers of sedimentary rock below ground. This magma then cooled into hexagonal igneous rock columns. Over time, erosion stripped away the surrounding sedimentary layers to unveil Devils Tower.
Copyright 2024 Susan Rissi Tregoning
Uploaded
March 18th, 2024
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