Devils Tower Wyoming – 13
Close Encounters of the Third Kind, a science fiction movie, brought the Devils Tower Wyoming to many people’s attention. With a flat top and ridges down the sides, it has a unique look. In fact in the movie, it was replicated in mashed potatoes and in dirt from someone’s backyard. Eventually some aliens landed there. While truth may not be stranger than fiction in this case, it’s still an interesting place.
First there will be an explanation. When it’s written “Devils Tower Wyoming” that doesn’t refer to a town or city in Wyoming, it refers to this mountain. Speaking of which, the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point has some amazing topographical maps on its website. Understanding the elevation of the tower is important. That’s incredible, as the saying goes.
One more thing has to be said about Devils Tower Wyoming. It is written without the apostrophe. Most people would write it “devil’s”. But the name has never been written that way. So don’t be alarmed, or think it’s a mistake when it’s seen without the apostrophe before the “s.”
Devils Tower Wyoming became a national monument on September 24, 1906. It was an act of Theodore Roosevelt, who the people called Teddy. He was never called that by his close friends. He was also responsible for the US involvement in the Panama Canal. Back to this monument, it covers nearly 5 ½ square kilometers of Wyoming.
Devils Tower Wyoming stands 1267 feet above everything around it. It’s almost a full mile above sea level. It’s tall. Even so, the size and sheer height have not stopped people from climbing it. 4000 people a year, 1% of the 400,000 who travel there, climb the tower. It’s not as challenging as Mt. Everest. It’s harder to get down Mt. Everest than to get up. That’s because so many people climb that there is a line, an actual queue, to make the descent. People often die of exposure to the elements while waiting. That doesn’t happen at the Devils Tower.
Devils Tower Wyoming first began to form about 200 million years ago during the Triassic Period. It includes various types of rocks from sandstone, to silt stone, and shale. The different types of rock make it a beautiful sight.
Visit the local library to learn more about Devils Tower Wyoming.
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