Devil's Tower National Monument

In "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," you may recall the Richard Dreyfuss character obsessing on an eerie shape, much to the chagrin of his wife and family.  It was a personal invitation to attend extra-terrestial gathering at this strange place.

I can't say we felt compelled to visit Devil's Tower National Monument, but as long as we were heading from Big Sky to Mount Rushmore, we felt it worth going a few miles out of our way to see our country's first National Monument, established by Teddy Roosevelt almost exactly 110 years ago (9/24/1906).


Devil's Tower and the nearby scenic western town of Hulett could easily fill a day or two minimum for vacationers, especially if you are a serious mountain climber.

However, as the theme song from another iconic movie of the seventies says, we had "a long way to go and a short time to get there," so we took only a quick drive through the park, stopping to snap a few photos and read the Lakota Sioux legend of what they called Mato Tipila, or Bear Lodge.

We continued down the scenic highway through gorgeous farmlands and beside the Black Hills, so named by native Americans because the forests are so thick that from a distance the mountains appear black.

While I love the United States and the great principles our country stands for, I can't help but lament the way our ancestors treated native Americans during out western expansion.  The book and TV mini-series "Centennial" did a great job empathetically revealing the story of that era.  Before reaching Devil's Tower, we had passed (at 80 mph) Connor Battlefield Campground, the site where Black Bear's Arapahoe were slaughtered by Connor's cavalry almost exactly 151 years ago (8/28/1865), bringing to mind that scene as depicted in "Centennial."

It's a shame that our government did not at least allow native Americans to keep this sacred part of Wyoming and South Dakota, which they considered the center of the world, as their home land rather than limiting them to less desireable small parcels. Our country's unique and extensive network of beautiful national and state parks, however, does afford everyone the opportunity to appreciate this beautiful piece of the world, preserved for future generations by forward-thinking Americans.

Devil's Tower National Monument, Wyoming