Devils Tower Trivia Quiz

Answer: Crook County, Wyoming

Devils Tower is located in northeastern Wyoming, in Crook County, near the small towns of Hulett (about 14 km away) and Sundance (named after the Sun Dance ceremony practiced by Native American tribes).

The surrounding national monument offers several hiking trails, the most popular being the Tower Trail, a 2.1 km loop that circles the base of the formation. Visitors can enjoy diverse wildlife, with over 40 species of mammals and more than 160 species of birds found in the area. The site also includes a visitor center, picnic areas, and ranger-led programs during the summer months.

Answer: Below 2000 meters (6,562 feet)

Devils Tower's summit reaches about 1,558 meters (5,112 feet) above sea level. It rises approximately 264 meters (867 feet) above the nearby Belle Fourche River valley, and about 386 meters (1,267 feet) above the surrounding plains.

Answer: Igneous monolith

This one is a bit tricky. While Devils Tower is sometimes informally called a mountain in everyday language, technically it is classified as a monolith - a natural geological formation composed of a single massive rock that rises prominently above the surrounding landscape.

It is not part of a mountain range and stands alone, which is typical of monoliths. It is also often referred to as a butte (or laccolithic butte), a rock formation, or an isolated hill.

Answer: Theodore Roosevelt, 1906

One might expect a more inspiring declaration from Theodore Roosevelt, but the proclamation of the first United States national monument in September 1906 was rather unremarkable. Without embellishment or detail, Theodore Roosevelt called it "an extraordinary example of the effects of erosion in the higher mountains as to be a natural wonder and an object of historic and great scientific interest..." The proclamation was issued under the Act for the Preservation of American Antiquities, passed in June 1906, which aimed to preserve and protect historic and prehistoric sites and structures throughout the United States.

Answer: Crack climbing

This climbing technique makes use of natural cracks in the rock. The hexagonal columns of Devils Tower contain hundreds of such cracks, making it one of the ideal crack climbing destinations in North America. The cracks vary in width - some are wide enough to fit an entire body, while others are just large enough for a few fingers.

There are over 200 established climbing routes, the vast majority of which are predominantly crack climbs. The optimal climbing season typically runs from April to October.

Answer: Bear Lodge

The name Devils Tower is probably a misunderstanding of what Native Americans originally called the monolith. In 1875, during an expedition to the Black Hills to investigate gold rumors, the United States Geological Survey encountered the monolith and spoke with local Native Americans to learn its name. Colonel Richard Irving Dodge, who led the expedition, later wrote that the Native Americans called it "The Bad God's Tower." They altered the name slightly, designating it as the "Devil's Tower" - a title that was soon adopted and permanently associated with the landmark.

There are several rich and interwoven stories told by different Native American tribes about the mountain known today as Devils Tower. All revolve around bears. Among the Lakota, one well-known tradition speaks of seven young girls who became separated from their group. Search parties looked for the girls and found them surrounded by hungry bears, but they were too far away to help the terrified children. Suddenly, a voice from the sky instructed the girls to climb a small hill nearby. The girls obeyed and gathered on the hill. The situation seemed hopeless, but miraculously, Taku Wakan (the Creator, according to the Lakota) caused the hill to rise higher and higher, lifting the girls far above the reach of the bears. The bears, unable to reach them, clawed at the hill's sides, leaving deep marks on the rock face. Taku Wakan then sent colorful birds to carry the girls safely back to their families.

In all these stories, the miraculous growth of the hill remains a consistent element, even as the details - like the girls ultimate fate - vary among tribes. For example, in the Kiowa version of the story, the Creator raised the hill to save the girls, but instead of returning to their families, the seven girls were lifted into the sky and transformed into seven stars, the Pleiades.

Answer: June

June holds special spiritual significance for many Native American tribes at Devils Tower because it marks the summer solstice, the most spiritually powerful time of year. This is when traditional ceremonies such as Sun Dances, sweat lodge rituals, and prayer offerings are conducted, often in alignment with the solstice.

The Sun Dance, for example, is a sacred ritual practiced by several Native American tribes. Among those most closely associated with the ceremony are the Lakota people, whose version emphasizes sacrifice, endurance, and spiritual renewal. Participants - often young men - undergo physical suffering as a form of prayer for the healing of their communities and the natural world.

Answer: First Amendment - separation of religion and state

Each side presented compelling arguments. Native Americans felt a deep spiritual and emotional connection to Devil's Tower, viewing it as a sacred site. To protect its sanctity, they favored a complete ban on climbing. Climbing enthusiasts, by contrast, saw the act of climbing as an essential expression of personal identity. For some, it even held spiritual significance akin to a religious practice. They argued that Native customs should not take precedence over what they considered their own form of belief and self-expression. Accordingly, they preferred an approach without any restrictions on the freedom of climbing.

The National Park Service (NPS) assembled a working group to help resolve the conflict between the parties. The solution ultimately adopted was a voluntary climbing ban on commercial climbing during the month of June, when the summer solstice takes place - a period regarded as sacred by Native American communities connected to the tower. The solution was based on education and voluntary restraint rather than coercion, although, as we will see in the next paragraph, some clauses and statements contradicted the spirit of the agreement.

In 1996, a group of professional climbers filed a lawsuit against the National Park Service (NPS), alleging that its policies regarding climbing restrictions at Devils Tower violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, which prohibits government endorsement of religion. The plaintiffs claimed that the voluntary climbing ban favored one religion by discouraging others from accessing and enjoying the national monument while Native American religious ceremonies took place. The court granted a preliminary injunction against the NPS's proposed commercial climbing ban, citing concerns over provisions that seemed to contradict the voluntary nature of the plan - such as the agency's attempts to restrict guide activity in June, its assertion of authority to ban climbing during that period, and a clause indicating that no commercial climbing permits would be issued for that month.

However, by November 1996, the NPS revoked the commercial ban, retaining only the voluntary climbing pause and related educational measures. In subsequent proceedings, the district court ultimately upheld the remaining provisions, finding them to be a permissible accommodation of religious practices rather than a constitutional violation.

Answer: "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" (1977)

Steven Spielberg, the director of this iconic film, was searching for a unique and striking piece of topography when he discovered Devils Tower. Captivated by its otherworldly presence, he chose it as the central location for the film. The Tower's portrayal in the movie heightened its aura of mystery. Without revealing too much, Devils Tower becomes a powerful source of obsession and longing for the protagonist (played by Richard Dreyfuss) and others like him. Their journey to the site becomes a passage beyond the limits of ordinary reality.

The other choices are all UFO abduction movies.

Answer: Formed by the slow cooling of magma beneath the surface

An important point to remember about Devils Tower is that there is a broad consensus among geologists that it is an igneous rock formation, created by the slow cooling of magma beneath the Earth's surface and later exposed through erosion. However, there is significant debate among scholars regarding the specific processes by which the magma cooled and solidified into the structure we see today. The theory that Devils Tower is a volcanic plug or the neck of an extinct volcano - along with several other hypotheses - remains unproven. The same erosion that revealed the Tower also erased much of the surrounding material, leaving behind few clues to determine which theory is ultimately correct.

Devils Tower is composed almost entirely of igneous rock, primarily a rare type called phonolite porphyry, which gives the formation its striking appearance. Marble is a metamorphic rock formed from marine carbonate sedimentary layers, and it is not found at Devils Tower.

The theory that Devils Tower is a giant tree started as rumors on social media claiming scientists found evidence that it was originally a giant tree. However, the National Park Service (NPS) issued a statement clarifying that there is no evidence to support these claims. What is certain is that the tower's appearance does resemble a giant tree trunk.