Devils Tower National Monument, Wyoming, United States

The lonely giant. Devils Tower National Monument, Wyoming, United States

Somewhere in the wide prairies of northeastern Wyoming, United States, stands Devils Tower, a stone formation that rises from the open plains. Once called Bear Lodge, the butte gained its current name during an 1875 expedition led by Colonel Richard Irving Dodge, possibly after an interpreter mistranslated a Native phrase as 'Bad God's Tower.' The missing apostrophe in its official title follows standard geographic naming conventions—hence, the signs read 'Devils Tower.' In 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt proclaimed it the nation's first national monument; a milestone whose anniversary falls today.

As you approach Devils Tower, every curve in the road unveils a new view—whether you're arriving from the highway, winding toward the visitor centre or following the Tower Trail on foot. The site's significance stretches far deeper than its dramatic geology. For centuries, numerous tribes from the Great Plains and Black Hills, including the Arapaho, Crow and Cheyenne, have been linked to this place. Each tribe preserves oral traditions about the Tower's creation. While many of these accounts share recurring themes, the details remain unique to every community. Devils Tower continues to embody a living chronicle of geology, heritage and the ever-changing relationship between humans and the natural world.