Devil's Tower National Monument
The State of Wyoming is one of
the many in the United States that
is gifted with nature’s wonder and
beauty. One of its prides is the
renowned Devil’s Tower National
Monument and one of the unbelievable
wonder of nature that it inspires
different legends about its
formation. On a scientific point of
view or approach, the Devil’s Tower
National Monument is a volcanic neck
or a massive geological formation of
an igneous rock. It rises 5,112 feet
above sea level and stands
majestically at 1,267 ft tall from
the ground. It is found just above
the Belle Fourche River in Crook
County, northeastern part of
Wyoming.
American Indian legends though
tell at least two different stories.
One tells of six Sioux girls who
were chased by bears while
innocently picking flowers. It is
believed that the Great Spirit took
pity on them
and raised the ground where the
terrified girls stood. The pursuing
bears tried to claw their way up the
rock but they failed and just left
scratch marks all over the newly
formed tower. Another legend has it
that it was two Sioux boys who
were chased by then infamous bear,
Mato, which had teepee pole-sized
claws.
It was told that the boys
wandered away from their village and
Mato chased them to have them for
breakfast. Mato almost got them but
the Creator himself, Wakan Tanka,
answered the boys’ prayers
and lifted the boys up to an
enormous-sized rock. Mato tried to
climb the rock from all sides. He
tried
and tried until he had scratched
all sides of the rock and gave up to
his disappointment. The boys were
then carried off by the eagle
Wanblee and flew them home. |
