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Devils Tower and the surrounding countryside, home to a countless number of plants and wildlife attracts visitors from around the world to see this magnificent rock formation that scientists believe is the core of a volcano exposed after millions of years of erosion caused by weather and the Belle Fourche River which.meanders around the base of the tower, 1,267 feet below the summit. While the name of Devils Tower may not be a household word, millions will recognize the shape of the Tower from the 1977 movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind, which featured the Tower as the landing spot for the awesome Mother Ship.
History of Devils Tower
In 1874, U.S. Army General George Armstrong Custer lead an expedition of 1000 men, 110 wagons and 300 cattle to the Black Hills in order to scout for likely places to establish military posts and to explore for gold.
In 1875 the name Devils Tower was first affixed to the Tower by a scientific team escorted by U.S. Army Colonel Richard I. Dodge sent to this area to look for gold, even though their presence was a violation of Indian treaty rights. General George Armstrong Custer had recently confirmed gold reports to the east in the Black Hills, and unfortunately gold fever seemed to be a common rationalization for breaking treaties. Dodge took the name Devils Tower as a literal translation of "Bad God's Tower," which was one name Native Americans used for the area. This name reflected the fear which many Native Americans felt for the area. Mateo Tepee, or "Bear Lodge," is the common Native American name used for the Tower today, although it is by no means the only name. Different tribes, utilizing different languages, have different names for this unique geologic formation.
In 1892 Wyoming Senator Francis E. Warren persuaded the US General Land Office to create a timber reserve surrounding the tower. Senator Warren also launched an unsuccessful effort to declare the entire area a national park.
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On July 4, 1893 amid fanfare and more than 1,000 spectators, William Rogers and Willard Ripley became the first recognized climbers to make it to the top of Devils Tower, using a home-made wooden ladder for a portion of the ascent. The timing of the climb (Independence Day) and the fact that there was a flag pole at the top of the Tower already, awaiting the climbers, suggested that perhaps someone had actually scaled the tower a few days earlier. Independence Day became an annual event for area ranchers and their families. At the third annual picnic (in 1895) Mrs. Linnie Rogers used her husband's ladder to become the first woman to scale the Tower, one of a total of about 215 who have used the ladder. The last use was by Babe "The Human Fly" White in 1927.
The present tower ladder consists of a series of wooden stakes connected on the outside by vertical wood planks. One end of each stake is driven sideways into a rock crevice, vertically ascending the southeast side of the tower. Attached with nails and/or bailing wire to the other end of the stakes are 12-inch lengths of 1 x 4 - inch lumber. The ladder ascends from about 100 feet above the ground to the summit, and is about 170 feet long. Because of its small scale in comparison to the tower, it is very difficult to see in modern photographs, and visitors to the tower usually must view it through a telescope. The lowest 100 feet were removed in the 1930s as a safety measure. The remaining ladder was restored in 1972
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In 1906 Congress passed the Antiquities Act which empowered the President to bestow national monument status upon federally owned lands that contain historic landmarks, historic or prehistoric structures, and other significant historic or scientific objects. President Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt quickly invoked the Antiquities Act, designating Devils Tower the nation's first national monument on September 24, 1906.
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In 1916, the National Park Service was created and eventually assumed administrative control of all national monuments, including Devils Tower.
The Old Headquarters Area which is now the Visitor Center Area at Devils Tower National Monument includes three structures and their surroundings, including the old headquarters building, the custodian's house, and the fire hose house. The buildings are all designed in the National Park Service Rustic style.
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1931
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Custodian's house
The custodian's residence was designed by the NPS Landscape Division under the direction of Chief Landscape Architect Thomas Chalmers Vint and constructed in 1931 by a private contractor, Mr. Cummings of Deadwood, South Dakota. The building first served as the residence of the monument's second custodian, George C. Crowe. The original structure had five rooms: living room, bedroom, breakfast nook kitchen, and bathroom.
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1935
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Headquarters building
Funded as an Emergency Conservation Works project and built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1935, the old administration building was used as the monument's headquarters and museum until 1959. At that time, headquarters was relocated to the campground area, while the building continued its function as the park's primary visitor center. Today the main level of the building serves as the visitor center; the basement level has public restrooms, museum storage, interpreter's office, library, storage for search and rescue and first aid equipment and supplies, and a fuel oil furnace. The upper level, originally designed for use as a bedroom, is now used for storage and houses an evaporative cooler.
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1937
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Fire Hose House
The fire hose house was constructed as Emergency Conservation Works Project #17. Work was completed by August 10, 1937, "except for shelves," according to the hand-written note on the architectural plans. The fire hose house was designed and used to house the fire hydrant and to store the monument's hose and fire fighting equipment. It has been used for that purpose since 1937.
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Entrance to Devils Tower National Monument.
1941
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This Cabin was built in 1941 and Design for dual use as an entrance station and as a residence. It features a unique porch with rough-cut projecting log ends in a scooped pattern. The interior was renovated in 1999, replacing the living spaces with office space.
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The perfect vacation destination if you like rolling hills, stately pine trees and clean air, with spectacular scenery just 33.4 miles south of Devils Tower National Monument is Pine Haven Wyoming, nestled in the pine trees on a Peninsula of Keyhole State Park and Reservoir with two accesses to the water and two boat launching areas, where the real fun begins at Keyhole State Park and Reservoir considered the Recreation Capital of Northeast Wyoming.
We extend a warm invitation for you to visit our land and our people to relax and get the necessary supplies that you need while enjoying the gentle rolling plains, wide-open prairies, beautiful mountains, sunsets by the lake and a visible abundance of birds and wildlife in Northeast Wyoming. Fill up the gas tank, pack a lunch and have some fun exploring this area located on the western edge of the Black Hills of South Dakota and Wyoming.
Keyhole State Park and Reservoir is approximately 14,720 acres of excellent recreation opportunities that offers excellent fishing for walleye, northern pike, Smallmouth bass and channel catfish. Visitors also have the opportunity to view many type of wildlife including pronghorn antelope, mule deer, white tailed deer, red fox and wild turkeys. Keyhole is a mecca for approximately 225 species of both resident and migrating birds, which can be observed in Keyhole State Park or within a mile of the park boundaries. With the four seasons being comparatively mild, and glorious weather from spring through fall and the long days of summer in Northeast Wyoming provides a lot of time for outdoor activities and sightseeing. Golf, camping, boating, water skiing and fishing are the favorite summer activities, and for the winter months, there is ice fishing, ice boating, snowmobiling, and cross-country skiing.
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