Devils Tower National Monument
In 1906, the Antiquities Act was passed giving the President of the United States the ability to declare any government land a National Monument. Three months later, Theodore Roosevelt declared Devil’s Tower the first national monument. At 1200ft tall, this volcanic scar looms over the entire region and can be seen from miles away.
This unusual butte was formed over forty million years ago when a volcanic intrusion permeated the ground here. It is possible this was an explosive volcano at one point, but it is not clear whether or not this is the case. As lava cools it has a peculiar tendency to form hexagonal vertical columns known as columnar basalt. This phenomenon is observed around the world. Devil’s Postpile in California, Stuðlagil Canyon in Iceland, and Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland are a few famous examples of columnar basalt. These columns give Devil’s tower it’s unique appearance. A Native American fable tells of seven sisters that were chased through the woods by an enormous bear. They were saved when the tower rose from the ground, lifting the sisters to the heavens. The columns were the claw marks of the gigantic bear trying to climb the butte and the seven sisters became the star formation we know today as the Pleiades, visible during the winter in the constellation Taurus.
