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diff --git a/old/66011-0.txt b/old/66011-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 247cc8e..0000000 --- a/old/66011-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,1063 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of Devils Tower National Monument: A History, -by Anonymous - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: Devils Tower National Monument: A History - -Author: Anonymous - -Release Date: August 8, 2021 [eBook #66011] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -Produced by: Stephen Hutcheson and the Online Distributed Proofreading - Team at https://www.pgdp.net - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DEVILS TOWER NATIONAL MONUMENT: A -HISTORY *** - - - - - DEVILS TOWER - NATIONAL MONUMENT - _A History_ - - -_This booklet is published by the DEVILS TOWER NATURAL HISTORY -ASSOCIATION, a nonprofit organization dedicated to help preserve the -features of outstanding national interest in the Devils Tower area. The -association is pledged to aid in the interpretation of the human history -and natural history of this area, that the visitor might better enjoy -and appreciate more of his natural and historical heritage._ - - The original reprint (April 1956) was made possible from the - periodical Annals of Wyoming through the courtesy of the Wyoming State - Historical Society and the Wyoming State Archives and Historical - Department. - - Revised March 1973 with minor corrections and narrative additions. - - [Illustration: Mateo Tepee or Devils Tower, Crook County, Wyoming. - _Courtesy National Park Service._] - - - - - _Devils Tower National Monument—A History_ - - - _By_ - Ray H. Mattison, _Historian_ - _National Park Service_ - - In preparing this article, the writer wishes to acknowledge the - assistance given him by Mr. Newell F. Joyner, former Custodian of - Devils Tower National Monument. Mr. Joyner, while stationed at the - Tower, collected considerable material for a history of the area which - was freely used by the author. - -The year 1956 marked the 50th Anniversary of the establishment of Devils -Tower National Monument, the first of our national monuments. The same -year was likewise the Golden Anniversary of the enactment of the -Antiquities Act which authorized the President, by proclamation, to set -aside “historical landmarks, historic and prehistoric structures, and -other objects of historic or scientific interest that are upon the lands -owned or controlled by the United States as National Monuments.” Under -this law and subsequent authorizations, 80 national monuments have now -been established. - -All who have seen the gigantic stump-like formation, known as Devils -Tower, rising some 1,200 feet above the Belle Fourche River, will -understand why it inspired the imagination of the Indians. They called -it Mateo Tepee, meaning Grizzly Bear Lodge, and had several legends -regarding its origin. According to the Kiowas, who at one time are -reputed to have lived in the region, their tribe once camped in a stream -where there were many bears. One day seven little girls were playing at -a distance from the village and were chased by some bears. The girls ran -toward the village and when the bears were about to catch them, they -jumped to a low rock about three feet in height. One of them prayed to -the rock, “Rock, take pity on us—Rock, save us.” The rock heard them and -began to elongate itself upwards, pushing the children higher and higher -out of reach of the bears. When the bears jumped at them they scratched -the rock, broke their claws and fell back upon the ground. The rock -continued to push the children upward into the sky while the bears -jumped at them. The children are still in the sky, seven little stars in -a group (the pleiades). According to the legend, the marks of the bears’ -claws may be seen on the side of the rock. - - [Illustration: Indian legend depicting the origin of Devils Tower. - _Courtesy National Park Service._] - -The Cheyenne version of the origin of the Tower is somewhat different. -According to their legend, there were seven brothers. When the wife of -the oldest brother went out to fix the smoke wings of her tipi, a big -bear carried her away to his cave. Her husband mourned her loss deeply -and would go out and cry defiantly to the bear. The youngest of the -brothers was a medicine man and had great powers. He told the oldest one -to go out and make a bow and four blunt arrows. Two arrows were to be -painted red and set with eagle feathers; the other two were to be -painted black and set with buzzard feathers. The youngest brother then -took the bow and small arrows, told the older brothers to fill their -quivers with arrows and they all went out after the big bear. At the -entrance of the cave, the younger brother told the others to sit down -and wait. He then turned himself into a gopher and dug a big hole in the -bear’s den. When he crawled in he found the bear lying with his head on -the woman’s lap. He then put the bear to sleep and changed himself back -into an Indian. He then had the woman crawl back to the entrance where -the six brothers were waiting. Then the hole closed up. After the -Indians hurried away, the bear awoke. He started after them taking all -the bears of which he was the leader. - -The Indians finally came to the place where Devils Tower now stands. The -youngest boy always carried a small rock in his hand. He told his six -brothers and the woman to close their eyes. He sang a song. When he had -finished the rock had grown. He sang four times and when he had finished -singing the rock was just as high as it is today. When the bears reached -the Tower, the brothers killed all of the bears except the leader, who -kept jumping against the rock. His claws made the marks that are on the -rock today. The youngest brother then shot two black arrows and a red -arrow without effect. His last arrow killed the bear. The youngest -brother then made a noise like a bald eagle. Four eagles came. They took -hold of the eagles’ legs and were carried to the ground. - -The Tower also was an object of curiosity to the early white explorers. -Although early fur traders and others probably saw the gigantic -formation at a distance, none ever mentioned it in their journals. Lt. -G. K. Warren’s Expedition of 1855 passed through the Black Hills en -route from Fort Laramie to Fort Pierre but probably never was within -sight of it. In 1857, Warren, accompanied by Dr. F. V. Hayden and others -started from Fort Laramie to explore the Black Hills and then returned -to the Missouri via the Niobrara River. At Inyan Kara, they met a large -party of Sioux who threatened to attack if they attempted to advance -farther. While here, Warren reported seeing the “Bear’s Lodge” and -“Little Missouri Buttes” to the north through a powerful spy-glass. It -is not known if he was referring to the Bear Lodge Mountains or to the -Tower itself. The explorers retraced their route 40 miles and took -another route eastward instead of the one originally planned. When Capt. -W. F. Raynolds’ Yellowstone Expedition passed through the Black Hills -region two years later, J. T. Hutton, topographer, and the Sioux -interpreter, Zephyr Recontre, on July 20 reached the Tower and returned -to the Expedition’s camp on the Little Missouri River. Neither Warren -nor Raynolds, however, left descriptions of the formation. - -It remained for the U. S. Geological Survey party, who made a -reconnaissance of the Black Hills in 1875, to call attention to the -uniqueness of the Tower. Col. Richard I. Dodge, commander of the -military escort, described it in the following year as “one of the most -remarkable peaks in this or any country.” Henry Newton (1845-1877), -geological assistant to the expedition, wrote: - - ... Its (the tower’s) remarkable structure, its symmetry, and its - prominence made it an unfailing object of wonder.... It is a great - remarkable obelisk of trachyte, with a columnar structure, giving it a - vertically stratiated appearance, and it rises 625 feet almost - perpendicular, from its base. Its summit is so entirely inaccessible - that the energetic explorer, to whom the ascent of an ordinary - difficult crag is but a pleasant pastime, standing at its base could - only look upward in despair of ever planting his feet on the top.... - -Colonel Dodge is generally credited with giving the formation it present -name. In his book entitled The Black Hills, published in 1876, he called -it “Devils Tower,” explaining “The Indians call this shaft The Bad God’s -Tower, a name adopted with proper modification, by our surveyors.” -Newton, whose published work on the survey appeared in 1880, explained -that the name Bear Lodge (Mateo Tepee) “appears on the earliest map of -the region, and though more recently it is said to be known among the -Indians as 'the bad god’s tower,’ or in better English, 'the devil’s -tower,’ the former name, well applied, is still retained.” However, -since that time, the name Devils Tower has been generally used. -Geologists, on the other hand, have in some instances continued to use -the original name. - -Over the years there have been changing theories concerning the origin -of Devils Tower. The latest belief, based upon the most extensive -geological field work yet done, probably will be supported by further -study. - -Briefly stated, about 60 million years ago when the Rocky Mountains were -formed, there was similar upheaval which produced the Black Hills and -associated mountains. Great masses of very hot, plastic material from -within welled up into the earth’s crust. In some instances it reached -the surface to produce lava flows or spectacular explosive volcanoes -which spread layers of ash many feet over a vast part of the Great -Plains. - -In the Devils Tower vicinity, this slowly upsurging, heated earth -substance spent its force before reaching the surface, cooling and -becoming solid within the upper layers of the earth. During this process -probably a very large mass of it, many miles across, moved within a few -thousand feet of the surface. Before it cooled, fingers or branches of -pasty-textured material moved upward along lines of weakness in the rock -layers near the surface of the earth. Some of these pinched out, while -others formed local masses of varying size and shape. Devils Tower and -the nearby Missouri Buttes, as we know them today, represent some of -these offshoot bodies which solidified in approximately their present -size and form at depths of possibly one to two thousand feet beneath the -surface. The phonolite porphyry, as the rock of Devils Tower and the -Missouri Buttes is known, is very hard. - - [Illustration: The rock formation of Devils Tower is Phonolite - Porphyry. _Courtesy National Park Service._] - -During subsequent tens of millions of years, erosion has stripped away -the softer rock layers in which these masses formed, leaving them -standing as dominant landmarks. The process continues today as the Belle -Fourche and Little Missouri Rivers and their tributary streams, aided by -freezing, thawing, rain drops, and the other processes that break down -the rock, continue to alter the face of the earth in this region. - -Within less than a decade after the U. S. Geological Survey party passed -through the region, the first settlers were to enter the western end of -the Black Hills in which the Tower is located. The Treaty of 1868 -guaranteed this region to the Indians. In 1874, in violation of this -treaty, Gen. George A. Custer led a reconnaissance expedition into the -Black Hills. As the result of his reports of the discovery of gold in -paying quantities in the Hills, miners invaded the region. While the -Government attempted to negotiate with the Indians to purchase the -Hills, the Army endeavored to keep out the intruders. When the -negotiations broke down in 1875, the troops were withdrawn and miners -and settlers poured into the region. Towns such as Custer City and -Deadwood sprung up over night. Many of the Indians, as a result, became -convinced that they would lose their reservations in the Dakotas, -Wyoming and Montana and joined the hostiles. By early 1876 the -Government found a full-scale Indian war on its hands. Following the -battle of the Little Bighorn in June, the Army pursued the hostile -groups relentlessly. In the fall of that year the Indians were compelled -to cede the Black Hills and most of their lands in Wyoming to the -whites. For several years, however, small marauding groups continued to -wander through the region. - -By the end of the decade, the vicinity around Devils Tower was -comparatively safe for settlers. In the early 1880’s the first of these -came into the Belle Fourche Valley in the vicinity of Hulett. With the -exception of such outfits as the Camp Stool and the D (Driscoll), most -of these settlers were small-scale farmers and ranchers from the -mid-western states. In the vicinity of Moorcroft and the Tower, on the -other hand, most of the land was occupied by large-scale outfits, such -as the 101. From 1889 to 1892, the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy -Railroad extended its line from the South Dakota State Line through -Newcastle, Moorcroft and thence to Sheridan. From several points along -this line, the Tower may be seen in the distance. It is not unreasonable -to conjecture, therefore, that the railroad may have had some influence -in the movement to give the area national protection. - -Fortunately, the Government took early action to prevent the Tower from -passing into the hands of individuals who might wish to exploit the -scenic wonder for private gain. In February 1890, Charles Graham filed a -preemption application for the lands on which the Tower is situated. In -August of the same year, the General Land Office issued an order to -reject all applications on these lands. This order forestalled other -attempts to acquire the Tower for speculative purposes. - -Meanwhile, support grew for the idea of preserving the Tower as a -national or state park. In February 1892, Senator Francis E. Warren -(1884-1929) of Wyoming wrote the Commissioner of the General Land Office -asking him for assistance in preventing the spoilation of Devils Tower -and the Little Missouri Buttes, located several miles to the northeast. -Several weeks later, the Land Office issued an order setting aside, -under the Forest Reserve Act of March 3, 1891, some 60.5 square miles, -which included both the Tower and the Little Missouri Buttes, as a -temporary forest reserve. This reserve was reduced in June 1892 to 18.75 -square miles and the unreserved portion in 1898 was restored to -settlement. - -In the same year, Senator Warren introduced a bill (S. 3364) in the -United States Senate for the establishment of “Devils Tower National -Park.” Acting on the advice of the General Land Office, the Senator -requested in his proposal that 18.75 square miles or 11,974.24 acres, -which included both Devils Tower and the Little Missouri Buttes, be set -aside for the park. The bill, which was introduced on July 1, 1892, was -read twice by its title and referred to the Committee on Territories. It -appears that Congress took no further action on the proposal. - -It was not until fourteen years later that Devils Tower became a -national monument. Although the proposal to make the area a national -park apparently did not receive much public support, the proponents were -sufficiently influential to keep it in timber reserve status. Following -the passage of the Antiquities Act in June 1906, Frank W. Mondell -(1860-1939), Representative-at-large from Wyoming and resident of -Newcastle, lent his support to the plan to have the area preserved as a -national monument. Mondell was a member and later chairman of the -important House Committee on Public Lands. It was apparently as the -result of his influence, more than that of any other individual, that -President Theodore Roosevelt, on September 24, 1906, proclaimed Devils -Tower as a national monument. Upon the recommendation of the -Commissioner of the General Land Office, the acreage set aside was only -1,152.91 acres, believed by him to be “sufficiently large to provide for -the proper care and management of the monument” under the terms of the -Antiquities Act. The Little Missouri Buttes were not included in the -monument area. The remainder of the reserve was opened to settlement in -1908. - -The question whether President Theodore Roosevelt ever visited Devils -Tower is a matter of conjecture. Some elderly residents of the region -claim that he visited the place on one of his hunting trips through the -Black Hills; others, that he dedicated the monument when it was -established. The writer has been unable to find any contemporary letters -or newspaper accounts which show that he visited the Tower at any time. -On April 25, 1903, while on an extended tour through the West, Roosevelt -made train stops at Gillette, Moorcroft and Newcastle, Wyoming; and at -Edgemont and Ardmore, South Dakota. The several Wyoming newspapers -published in September 1906, which were consulted by the writer, made no -mention whatever of the Tower receiving national monument status. - - [Illustration: Devils Tower showing ladder built in 1893. _Courtesy - National Park Service._] - -Although it was difficult to reach, the Tower early became a favorite -camping and picnicking spot for people living in the vicinity. One of -the inviting features was the large spring of pure cold water located -near its base. It was some distance from a railroad so it could be -reached only over unimproved roads or trails by horseback, wagon or -buckboard. One long-time resident of Hulett, some ten miles distant from -the monument by present paved highway, informed the writer that in the -1890’s, it was necessary to ford the Belle Fourche River seven times to -get to the tower. Many of the people in the vicinity went to the Tower -once or twice a year and spent one or two nights there. The Fourth of -July observances for the community were sometimes held there and people -often came from considerable distance to these events. - -The best-known early event was the 4th of July celebration held at the -Tower in 1893. According to the handbill circulated for the occasion, -the principal speakers were N. K. Griggs of Beatrice, Nebraska, and Col. -William R. Steele of Deadwood, South Dakota. The handbill announced -“There will be plenty to Eat and Drink on the Grounds;” “Lots of Hay and -Grain for Horses;” and, “Dancing Day and Night.” It also stated “Perfect -order will be maintained.” The feature attraction, however, of the day -was to be the first climbing of the Tower by William Rogers, a local -rancher. The event was apparently given wide publicity. - -Rogers made elaborate preparations for the big event. With the -assistance of Willard Ripley, another local rancher, he prepared a -350-foot ladder to the summit of the Tower. This was accomplished by -driving pegs, cut from native oak, ash and willow, 24 to 30 inches in -length and sharpened on one end, into a continuous vertical crack found -between the two columns on the southeast side of the giant formation. -The pegs were then braced and secured to each other by a continuous -wooden strip to which the outer end of each peg was fastened. Before -making the exhibition ascent, the men took a 12-foot flagpole to the top -and planted it into the ground. The building of the ladder by Rogers and -Ripley was an undertaking perhaps more hazardous than the climbing of -the Tower itself. - - [Illustration: Handbill of first exhibition ascent of Devils Tower, - July 4, 1893. _Courtesy National Park Service._] - - [Illustration: William Rogers. _Courtesy National Park Service._] - -People came for a distance from 100 to 125 miles to witness the first -formal ascent of the Tower. The more conservative estimates are that -about 1,000 people came by horseback, wagon and buckboard to see the -spectacular feat. For many of them it was a trip requiring several days -of tedious travel over rough and dusty trails. Rogers began his ascent -following proper ceremonies which included an invocation. After climbing -for about an hour he reached the top. Amid much cheering from the many -open-mouthed spectators some 865 feet below, he unfurled an American -flag, which had been specially made for the occasion, from the flagpole. -Devils Tower had at last been conquered in the full view of an assembled -throng. During the afternoon, a gust of wind tore the flag loose and it -drifted down to the base of the Tower. Here the promoters tore it up and -sold the pieces for souvenirs. - -Others were soon to climb the Tower by Rogers’ ladder. On July 4, 1895, -Mrs. Rogers duplicated her husband’s climb of two years earlier and -became the first woman to reach the summit. It is estimated that 25 -people have made the ascent of the Tower by Rogers’ ladder. The last to -reach the top by this means was “Babe” White, “the Human Fly,” in 1927. -Much of the ladder has since been destroyed. However, a portion of it -may still be seen on the southeast side of the Tower. A viewing device -on the Tower trail assists the visitor to locate the remnants of the -ladder. - -Almost a quarter of a century was to pass after Devils Tower was given -national recognition before a full-time National Park Service employee -was to be stationed at the monument. Consequently, there is little -information about the area for the period from 1906 to 1930. When the -monument was established, the Commissioner of the General Land Office -directed the Special Agent of the district in which the area was located -and the local Land Office to act as custodians of the newly-created -area. They were to prevent vandalism, removal of objects and all -unauthorized occupation or settlement of lands on the monument. Mr. E. -O. Fuller, of Laramie, served with the Sundance office of that agency as -special investigator from 1908 to 1919. He informed the writer that, -among his various duties, he was charged with the responsibility of -looking after the Tower. Mr. Fuller related to the writer that on one -occasion a Wyoming newspaper carried an article indicating that souvenir -hunters were damaging the Tower by chipping it. The story soon reached -the East, and within a short time one New York and several Washington, -D. C., papers were carrying alarming stories that the giant formation -was being undermined and seriously threatened. The fear was voiced that, -if measures were not taken immediately to prevent it, the famous -landmark would soon be destroyed. As a result of this publicity, the -Commissioner of the General Land Office sent out instructions to place -warning signs on the monument asking people not to molest the Tower. It -was Mr. Fuller’s responsibility to post these signs on the area. He -visited the place from time to time to prevent people from destroying -trees and damaging the natural features of the area. - -Meanwhile, Congressman Mondell made persistent efforts to interest the -Federal Government in developing the monument as a tourist attraction. -In February 1910, he introduced a bill (H.R. 21897) providing for an -appropriation to build an iron stairway from the foot to the summit of -Devils Tower. The proposal was referred to the Committee on -Appropriations and apparently never reported out. In 1911 and 1913 -Mondell re-introduced identical bills (H.R. 8792 and H.R. 88) to the -earlier one in the 62nd and 63rd Congress and they too died in the -committee. In 1915 and 1917, he introduced bills (H.R. 165 and 60) to -provide for the building of roads at the monument “and for other -purposes.” These met the same fate as the earlier bills. Mondell, -however, continued to urge the Secretary of Interior and the Director of -the National Park Service to build a bridge across the Belle Fourche -River, east of the monument, and construct a suitable access road to the -area. - -With the popularizing of the automobile, the need for visitors’ -facilities on the area increased. In 1916, the National Park Service was -organized and the monument was placed under its jurisdiction. Prior to -1917, Congress made no general appropriations for the protection and -maintenance of the national monuments. Until the 1930’s the amounts -allotted for this purpose continued to be very small. Various groups -continued to urge for a satisfactory access road to the area and for a -bridge across the Belle Fourche River near the monument. Early in 1915, -Mondell transmitted a request to the Secretary of the Interior from the -three legislators from Crook County asking Congress for funds to build a -road to the Tower. At a picnic held at the monument on July 4, 1916, -which was attended by some 500 people, a petition was drafted and signed -by 153 persons and sent to Congressman Mondell. The petitioners -complained that they had been compelled to walk a mile and a half that -day over a trail which was “washed out and filled with logs” in order to -reach the Tower. They asked Congress for an appropriation of $20,000 to -convert the giant formation into a public resort and to build a bridge -across the Belle Fourche. Pressure from the various groups through -Congressman Mondell was soon to bring some results. In 1917 the National -Park Service, with the assistance of Crook County, built a 12 to 16-foot -road three miles in length and with a grade of eight percent leading to -the giant formation. In the following year, this road was improved so -that it could be reached more easily by automobile. The spring at the -base of the Tower was also made more serviceable. - -It was some time, however, before pressure was sufficiently strong to -compel the Federal Government to build a bridge across the Belle Fourche -near the monument. For many years, it had been necessary for those -entering the area from the east to ford the river. During the summer -months, the river was subject to sudden and unpredictable rises which -frequently made it impossible for people visiting the area to return to -the east bank until the water subsided. In many instances, those so -stranded were compelled to camp out one, and in some cases, several -nights. Pressure from local people and travel organizations to build the -bridge continued to be strong throughout the early 1920’s. In 1923, a -petition, containing seven pages of signatures of people from Wyoming -and South Dakota, was submitted to the Secretary of the Interior asking -that the Belle Fourche near the monument be bridged. Both Senators -Warren and John B. Kendrick lent their support to the movement. It was -not until 1928 that the bridge was built. - -During the 1920’s the National Park Service was able to provide only the -most minimum accommodations for visitors at Devils Tower. Some work -continued to be done in maintaining the roads. In 1921 John M. Thorn, -County Commissioner of Crook County, of Hulett, was appointed custodian -at an annual salary of $12 a year. Thorn served primarily as foreman of -maintenance work and performed the minimum paper work necessary in -preparing payrolls and making purchases. In 1922 the Service built a log -shelter to protect the visitors from inclement weather, cleaned the -spring next to the Tower and improved the road within the monument -boundaries. However, in spite of the improvements the Government was -able to make, the maintenance at the monument must have been very -inadequate. Trespassing stock continued to graze on the area and occupy -the log shelter erected for visitors. The Secretary of Custer -Battlefield Highway Association complained to the Director in 1929 that -the road to the Tower the previous year “was a disgrace, many people -turned back because of the terrible road conditions.” He also pointed -out that the area needed a full-time custodian. - -Despite the hardships in reaching the Tower and the lack of -accommodations after reaching there, visitation to the area continued to -rise during the 1920’s. “The monument is receiving an increasing number -of visitors who like to camp on the ground,” reported the Director in -1922. From 1921 to 1930 the estimated number of visitors rose from 7,000 -to 14,720, the average being 9,100. After 1925 a register was kept at -Grenier’s Store which was located near the east entrance to the -monument. - -During this period the National Park Service was under continued -pressure to authorize concessions at the Tower. Numerous applications -were made by individuals and companies to erect restaurants, gasoline -stations, hotels and recreational facilities there. The Service -consistently maintained that such developments of a permanent character -should be made outside the monument boundaries and not within the area -itself. - -It has only been since 1930 that Devils Tower National Monument has -become a national tourist attraction. This has been the result of -several factors. During the latter part of the 1920’s, the Custer -Battlefield Highway (U.S. Highway 14) was built between Spearfish, South -Dakota, and Gillette, Wyoming, and came within only seven miles of the -Tower. The State also built improved roads into Sundance from U.S. -Highways 85 and 16. A paved highway was also constructed from U.S. -Highway 14 to Alva making the area from the south entirely accessible by -paved roads. Local and state Chambers of Commerce, travel associations, -newspapers and periodicals gave the Tower wide publicity as one of the -natural “wonders of the world.” - - [Illustration: Visitor Center built in 1935. _Courtesy National Park - Service._] - -The decade of the 1930’s was one of extensive development for the -monument. Although the Nation was in the throes of the Great Depression, -considerable sums of money as well as manpower were made available for -public works through the various relief agencies. Working under the -supervision of the National Park Service, these agencies, particularly -the Civilian Conservation Corps, inaugurated an extensive development -program at the monument. Practically all of the improvements prior to -1956 were the results of their efforts. New roads were built, modern -water and electrical systems installed, footpaths were laid out, picnic -areas were established with tables and comfortable benches, and trailer -and overnight camping areas were provided the visitors. Residences for -employees, workshops and machine shops were erected. In 1938 a museum of -sturdy log construction was completed. - -The result of the improved roads and visitor facilities at the monument -is reflected in travel records. During the ten-year period from 1931 to -1941, in spite of the Great Depression, the number of visitors -practically tripled. In 1931 the count was 11,000; in 1936, 26,503; in -1941, 32,951. - -In the early 1930’s, the first full-time custodian was stationed at the -monument. This was George C. Crowe, who previously had been a -Ranger-Naturalist at Yosemite National Park in California. Crowe served -from April or May 1931 until March 1932 when he was transferred to -Yellowstone National Park as Assistant Park Naturalist. Newell F. -Joyner, who earlier had seen service at Yellowstone as Ranger and -Naturalist succeeded Crowe as Custodian. Joyner served in this capacity -for 15 years. - -The big annual event each year at the monument, the Pioneers’ Picnic, -had its origin at this time. Although old-timers frequently met at the -Tower prior to that time, it was not until 1932 that they formally -organized. In that year, the Northern Black Hills Pioneer Association -came into being. Its membership was limited to people who had resided in -that section for at least 35 years. On one day each year, usually in -June, an open house is held in remembrance of this occasion. - -In the late 1930’s, professional mountain climbers gave their attention -to Devils Tower. Although the summit of the giant formation had by then -been reached a number of times by means of the ladder which Rogers had -built in 1893, no one had reached the top without this device. With the -consent of the National Park Service, three mountain climbers, all -members of the American Alpine Club of New York City, led by Fritz -Wiessner, in 1937 made the first ascent of the Tower solely by -rock-climbing techniques. They reached the top in four hours and -forty-six minutes. This party made many scientific observations and -brought down samples of the rock as well as vegetation found there. -Eleven years later 16 members of the Iowa Mountain Climbers Club, after -reaching the summit, hoisted bedding and food and spent the night. As of -December 31, 1975, there have been 4,051 individual ascents of the -formation by skilled climbers. It was not until 1955 that James McCarthy -and John Rupley made the first ascent on the west face. At the present -time, there are 49 different routes and all sides of the tower have now -been climbed. - - [Illustration: Devils Tower from the southeast along Tower Trail, - showing the following climbing routes: (1) _Durrance_; (2) - _Sundance_; (3) _Pseudo Wiessner_; (4) _Wiessner_; (5) _Bon Homme_; - (6) _Bailey Direct_. _Courtesy National Park Service._] - -In the fall of 1941 the Tower made the headlines of the Nation’s leading -newspapers. This was brought about through the foolhardy stunt of a -professional parachutist named George Hopkins. Without the consent or -knowledge of National Park Service officials, Hopkins, who held a number -of United States and world’s records for spectacular jumps, on October 1 -parachuted from an airplane to the top of the Tower. His plan was to -make his descent by means of a one-half inch 1,000-foot rope which was -dropped from the plane. However, this rope landed on the side of the -Tower and Hopkins was unable to get it. The Park Service was confronted -with a serious problem, and newspapers throughout the country made the -most of the predicament. Telegrams and letters offering advice on how to -rescue Hopkins came from all over the United States. Meanwhile, food and -blankets were dropped to him while Service officials considered how to -get the man down from the giant formation. - -After weighing carefully various methods, the Service, on October 3, -decided to accept the offer of Jack Durrance, a student at Dartmouth -College, skier and mountain climber who had led the second -mountain-climbing ascent of the Tower in 1938, to lead the rescue party. -More food, water, and blankets were dropped to Hopkins and assurances -were given him that help was coming. Advice and offers of assistance -continued. The Goodyear Company offered to loan the use of a blimp to -effect the rescue. The Navy offered the use of a helicopter. Bad -weather, meanwhile, grounded Durrance’s plane, so the mountain climber -had to travel to Denver by train. On October 5, Durrance and his party -arrived at the monument. Working closely with Service officials, they -laid out a safe climbing route for rescue operations. On the following -day, Durrance led seven other climbers to the summit of the tower where -they found Hopkins who, in spite of his ordeal, was in excellent -physical condition and in good spirits. The descent was made with little -difficulty. The stranded stunt man and the rescue operations which -received wide publicity attracted many spectators from all parts of the -Nation. During the six-day period, some 7,000 visitors came to the -monument to see him and witness rescue operations. - -Within a few months following the Hopkins episode, the United States -entered World War II. Travel to the National Park Service areas, except -by members of the Armed Forces, was not encouraged. Personnel, as well -as appropriations, needed to maintain the areas, were reduced to a -minimum. Gas and tire rationing, together with reduced vacation time -resulting from the War effort, was soon to be reflected in reduced -travel figures. In 1942 the visitors at the monument numbered 20,874; in -1943, 5,114; 1944, 6,024; 1945, 7,315. - -In 1947 Raymond W. McIntyre succeeded Joyner as Superintendent of the -monument. McIntyre, a native of North Dakota, was Park Ranger at Glacier -National Park immediately prior to entering on duty at the Tower. He had -previously served in the capacity of Ranger at Mount McKinley National -Park in Alaska and a Ranger with the U.S. Forest Service. - -James F. Hartzell replaced Raymond W. McIntyre as Superintendent of the -Monument in January of 1958. Hartzell, a native of Minnesota was a Park -Ranger at Olympic National Park in Washington prior to his entering on -duty as Superintendent. - -In April 1963, Robert J. Murphy succeeded James F. Hartzell as -Superintendent of the Monument. Murphy is a native of Montana, and -started his career with the National Park Service as a park ranger at -Yellowstone National Park in 1942. Successive assignments included -Glacier National Park in Montana, Theodore Roosevelt National Memorial -Park in North Dakota; Rocky Mountain National Park and Shadow Mountain -National Recreation Area in Colorado and Wind Cave National Park in -South Dakota. - -Richard T. Hart replaced Robert J. Murphy in May, 1966 as the Monument’s -Superintendent. Hart, a native of South Dakota and former teacher, -served first as a Park Ranger and later as Park Naturalist at Wind Cave -National Park and Jewel Cave National Monument in South Dakota. He was -assigned to Yosemite National Park in California as Assistant Park -Naturalist in 1960 and to the Mather Training Center in Harpers Ferry, -West Virginia as an Instructor (Interpretation) in 1963. - -In December 1968, Elvin T. Aaberg was appointed Acting Superintendent of -the monument. Aaberg, a native of South Dakota, first served as a Park -Ranger at Wind Cave National Park in South Dakota and later at Glacier -National Park in Montana. - -In June 1970, Homer A. Robinson was appointed Superintendent. A native -of Oregon, Robinson began his career as a Park Ranger at Montezuma -Castle National Monument in Arizona in 1959. Successive assignments -included Canyon De Chelly National Monument in Arizona; Jewel Cave -National Monument in South Dakota; Lake Mead National Recreation Area in -Arizona and Nevada; Port Jefferson National Monument and Everglades -National Park in Florida. - -Increased visitation following World War II brought about new problems -of protection, public use, interpretation, development and all other -phases of park operations. A long range planning program known as -MISSION 66 was inaugurated. Improvements to each of the areas were -programmed and many completed. Improvements that were completed at -Devils Tower included the enlargement of camping facilities, additional -housing, improvement of the trail around the Tower, additional water and -sewer developments, administration and equipment buildings and the -enlargement of the visitor center. - - - - - CHRONOLOGY OF DEVILS TOWER NATIONAL MONUMENT - - - 1859 — Members of Capt. W. F. Raynolds’ Yellowstone Expedition - visit Bear Lodge (Devils Tower). - 1875 — U.S. Geological Survey visits formation. Name changed - from Bear Lodge to Devils Tower. - 1892 — Area established as forest reserve. Senator Warren - introduces bill to establish Devils Tower National Park. - 1893 — William Rogers and Willard Ripley make first ascent of - Tower by ladder. - 1906 — President Theodore Roosevelt establishes Devils Tower as - the first national monument. - 1930 — First full-time custodian appointed for monument. - 1933-41— Area developed by Civilian Conservation Corps and other - agencies in cooperation with the National Park Service. - 1937 — Fritz Wiessner and party first ascent of Tower by - mountain-climbing techniques. - 1954 — Monument visitation passes 100,000 mark. - 1956 — Golden Anniversary of Devils Tower National Monument - observed. - 1956 — 100th Anniversary of birth of Theodore Roosevelt. - 1963 — 1000th ascent of the Tower. - 1970 — 2000th ascent of the Tower. - 1973 — 3000th ascent of the Tower. - 1975 — 4000th ascent of the Tower. - 1975-76— Reenactment of 1893 Flag Raising. - - - - - Transcriber’s Notes - - -—Silently corrected a few typos. - -—Retained publication information from the printed edition: this eBook - is public-domain in the country of publication. - -—In the text versions only, text in italics is delimited by - _underscores_. - - - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DEVILS TOWER NATIONAL MONUMENT: A -HISTORY *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the -United States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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