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The Formation of Devils Tower
The Tower and the Missouri Buttes to the northwest formed about 50 million years ago as the result of magma being forced up into cracks and weak areas from below the earth′s crust, to create a type of underground volcanic formation called an
igneous intrusion.
At that time, the magma widened the cracks and pooled one and a half mile beneath the surface of the land where it began to cool and harden. As the magma cooled, the hardened rock shrank an cracked, which formed the 4, 5, 6, and 7 sided columns we see today.
Then as time slowly proceeded for millions of years, the ancient rivers washed away the softer sedimentary rock layer that had long covered the Tower exposing it to the erosive effects of the rain and wind causing the outside columns to, over time, break away and fall to the base. The last one is estimated to have fallen 10,000 years ago.
This erosive effect is still slowly wearing away at the hard igneous rock of the Devils Tower, which igneous tower, is still emerging as the Belle Fourche river continues to wash away the softer surrounding sedimentary rock.
Today, the Tower stands 867 feet high, measured from the visitors center to the summit.
A Geological Wonder?
All over the world, there exists many columnar rock features such as Devils Tower, so why is it considered unique?
One reason is because of the size of it′s columns. Devils Tower has the tallest columnar rock structures in the world with some more than 600 feet in height and has the widest columns, with the widest, 10 - 20 feet in diameter.
Another reason Devils Tower is unique is because of the type of rock it was made from, which is
phonolite, found in Wyoming, Montana but also in east Africa.
The Land and People Today
The Tower rises high above the river, the grasslands, the ponderosa pine forest and is a landmark that has attracted people for thousands of years. The area surrounding the Tower was once home to vast bison herds but as they were hunted to near extinction, the habit was changed to ranch lands.
Cowboys from Texas and New Mexico drove there cattle into this region and those who were not discouraged by extreme winter conditions stayed, built homes, raised families and operated ranches, often on the same land for years and passing on this way of life for many generations. These families are some of those who have a strong attachment to the land and the Tower.
To the indigenous people, the Bear′s Lodge still hold much meaning. Also, the Tower hold much meaning to the local ranchers, rock climbers and thousand of visitors from all over the world to see this Geological Wonder and who now hold it is near and dear to heart.
Ancient Steps:
Tribes from four separate language cultures have all developed cultural and spiritual connections with this monument, and these indigenous people all call this monument, Bear′s Lodge.
Arapaho and Cheyenne
Both the Arapaho and Cheyenne tribes have descended from the Sons of Jerah of the
North Central Interior Region tribes;
Crow
The Crow have descended from the Sons of Obal of the
Missouri Valley Siouan tribes;
Lakota
The Lakota also descended from the Sons of Obal, but were of an entirely different nation than the Crow, they were from the
Lower Interior Region tribes
Kiowa and Shoshone
The Kiowa and the Shoshone are descendants of those who crossed the Beringia Land Bridge during the second migration, which makes both tribes part of the
Uto-Aztecan people
Bear′s Lodge not only connects them to their past, but they continue to hand down their belief and stories from one generation to the next.
Also, each of the above tribe have stories to tell to their children, which stories are repeated from one father to his children and grandchildren. The following are a variation of three of these stories.
The Great Race
Originally told by the Lakota and other tribes, this is a story about the origin of the red earth layer, now known as the Spearfish Formation, which can be seen as a circular route around most of the Black hills and along the Belle Fourche river valley from the Devils Tower to as far to the southeast as the Wind Cave.
Some time after the creation of the animals and man, there was a time when the Buffalo boasted that he was the most powerful creature of all the creatures earth wide, and this brag even included the man. However, man thought this was unfair because this claim by the Buffalo had never been proven.
So, because at that time, the Buffalo was a very prideful creature, he decided to host a race against the humans and also invited all the other animals to participate in this race. Further, because the winner of this race would be bestowed the title of the greatest and strongest of all other animals, a large multitude of different animals joined as contestants in this race. Too, due to the fact that all of the animals had four legs and man only had two, he was allow to choose a runner for himself. Thus, the man choose the rainbow crow to race for him.
The race was long and hard, encircling the entire area of a heavily forested region. As the race continuing, many of animals began to drop blood from their mouths and noses, which blood stained the earth red along the entire racecourse. Also, because there were so many contestants in this race, whose hooves were constantly beating upon the ground and the continuous pounding was so hard upon the earth, that it caused the racecourse to sink downward and the land in the middle to rise upward and form the Black Hills.
The winner of the race was Rainbow Crow, and because this was the runner chosen by man to run the race for him, man beat the buffalo in the race and the buffalo was forever humbled. This is why the Indian people hunt and kill the buffalo.
The Rainbow Crow
During the time shortly after the creation, man was cold all during the cold season and that cause him to have to migrate twice every year, once southward before the cold season and a second time back northward when it was too hot for him in him in the south county. Yes, this was the time before he began to choose a homeland for himself and his family.
Once, when the leaves were changing colors, he though of a plan, that, if he could work it out, he may in the future, be able to settle down in one place and which place he could make his homeland.
So, man approached the animal community for help and told them of his concern and his desire to send a message to the Creator to ask for relief in some form so that the creatures would not freeze during the winter. Then, it was the Rainbow Crow, the most beautiful feathered creature of all the birds with the most beautiful of all birdsong, who offers to make this journey and ask the Creator for this relief. Yes, Rainbow Crow told man that he would fly up into the heaven to ask the Creator if he would provide a means in which all of the creation could stay warm during the winter and not have to travel thousands of miles just to keep from freezing during the winter.
Then, Rainbow Crow began flying upward toward the heaven, higher and higher and since Rainbow Crow had the most beautiful song, as he climbed higher, he would sing out loud hoping that the Creator would hear his song and come to see why Rainbow Crow had flown so high up into the heavens. His singing worked because the Creator heard the song of Rainbow Crow and came down and asked Rainbow Crow why he was flying so high up into the heavens.
At this time, Rainbow Crow beseeched the Creator with these word, "As you know, Most High God, during the winter on earth, it gets very cold and many of your creatures do not make it through the season to the following spring but freeze to death. The Man who is back on earth asked me to come here to ask you if you could provide some means which could help keep us all keep from freezing during the winter."
So, the Creator, took a branch, put fire to it and handed it to the Rainbow Crow telling him, "This if Fire, my gift to my creatures. So, return to earth and use this to keep warm during winter."
Rainbow Crow grabbed hold of the branch with his beak and began his return trip carrying the gift from the Creator back to earth. However, upon his arrival back to the earth, he does not appear to be the same bird that he once was. The fire has scorched his plumage turning his entire body black with only a little bit of iridescence remaining in his feathers from the way it was before. Too, because he was carrying the stick in his beak and he was breathing the smoke the entire way back, the smoke had made his voice rough and hoarse, whereas now, all he can do is just Caw.
Thus, to this day, rainbow crow has since been entirely black with on a raspy Caw-Caw for his song.
The Bear Lodge
According to a Sioux story about how the Bear Lodge (Lakota: Mato Tipila) got the vertical cracks along the sides.
Once, two young boys while away for their village exporing, became lost trying to find their way home through the vast prairie. After some time, the boys realized that they were being followed, stalked by the ferocious and relentless Mato, a now extinct species of an exceptionally giant bear! The boys ran from Mato for as long as they could, but found no place to hide in the low brush and open meadow of the Great Plains.
In time, the large bear was upon them, and in a final plea for rescue, the boys dropped to their knees and prayed to the Creator (Lakota: Wakan Tanka) to save them. Suddenly, the earth began to shake, and the boys found themselves lifted up into the sky by a giant obelisk of rock! However, the Mato, still determined to have his meal, reared up onto his hind legs and began to claw along the side of the rock tower trying to climb up to the top where the two boys were. Mato continued all day long which resulted in long vertical striations dug into the side of the face of the stone. Still, no matter how hard he tried Mato just could not make it to the top where the two boys stood watching him and who remained just beyond his reach. Mato tried and tried to reach them, covering every side of the mountain in the long cracks and scratches made by his claws. But try as he might, Mato could not catch the boys. Eventually, Mato retreated, exhausted and disappointed, leaving the two boys alone still on top of the mountain.
How did the boys get down from the top of the tower. The story is that the Great Spirit summoned a giant eagle, whose name was Wanblee, to come and carry the two boys on his back all the way back to their village.
Campgrounds:
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