Devil's Tower is the most mysterious rock in America. Travels from A to Z Indian legends about Devil’s Tower

Devil's Mountain - that's the name of this unusual natural object, located in Wyoming (USA). Outwardly, it resembles a huge tower of perfectly regular shape, made of many stone pillars.

The height of Devil's Mountain is about 400 meters. The diameter at the base is 300 meters, and at the top - 80. Scientists estimate that it appeared more than 200 million years ago!

Since ancient times, this giant rock has surprised people with the unusualness of its location - after all, there are no other mountains around for many kilometers. This is also why people of the past worshiped her like an idol, and were even afraid to be near her for a long time. Legends say that people have repeatedly seen a mysterious glow above the top of the tower. This gave reason to our ancient ancestors to assume that the devil lived there. Well, modern ufologists believe that a perfectly flat top of a rock is a landing site for a UFO.

These myths even formed the basis of some modern works of art. So, it was on Devil's Mountain that Steven Spielberg filmed his film "Close Encounters of the Third Kind".

The bad reputation of the rock is confirmed by the attempts of rock climbers to conquer it. It is notorious among climbers: it is very difficult to climb to the top due to the steep walls, but it is even more difficult to go back down. Throughout history, only three attempts have been made to conquer Devil's Mountain. Once they even spent a whole week trying to rescue a paratrooper who had landed on the top from the mountain.

Modern scientists explain the origin of the amazing rock quite simply. Once upon a time in these places there was a sea, at the bottom of which a volcanic eruption occurred. Its magma is the current Devil's Mountain.


We didn't go to Wyoming to go to Sundance and learn about history.
Sundance Kid. Twenty-seven miles from the city of Sundance rises an amazing
and a mysterious rock called Devil's Tower.

This unique natural structure is a high, about 400
meters, an unusual looking rock that resembles a giant stump,
or a giant fortress tower. The diameter of the rock at the base is
three hundred meters, at the top about eighty meters.

But even more than the unusual appearance of this rock, people are always
I was struck by the absolute illogicality of the appearance of the Devil's Tower among the endless
plain, which stretches here for many hundreds of kilometers. After all, it
there is only one here and there are no other rock formations in the area. Scientists
Such mountains are called “geological units.”

The rock has such a regular shape that it’s hard to believe
in the naturalness of its origin. Devil's Tower was a place
religious worship of the American Indian tribes even before the advent of
they have writing.

The Indians believed that the devil lived on the top of this mountain and when he
gets angry with people, then he arranges his dances with thunder and lightning upstairs.
Even Egyptian pyramids seem like very small buildings
compared to this tower-like rock.

The Indians called this rock Mateo Tepi, which means Grizzly Bear's Den.
The first white surveyors who discovered it in 1875 gave it the name
Devil's Tower, based on another Indian name Tower of Bad
God.

The Indians have a number of legends associated with mysterious origin
Devil's Towers. Several tribes inhabited this area for
many years, and they all tell similar legends about the emergence
miracle rocks.

According to one of them, seven girls were walking in the forest when they
a giant bear attacked. The children tried to run away, but the bear did not lag behind.
In desperation, they climbed onto a low rock and prayed for salvation.
To the Great Spirit. And the Great Spirit heard them: suddenly stone plate, to which
the girls climbed up and began to rapidly grow upward. The grizzly roared from
rage, and scratching with claws rock, tried to get to the children, but
he failed, but traces of his sharp claws remained on the Tower
Devil. At the same time, the mountain grew and grew upward until the girls could not
step into the sky, where the Pleiades turned into stars.

By the way, since Devil's Tower is the tallest building
given area, then lightning very often strikes its top, which causes
the appearance of various light anomalies. In addition, at its top there are local
residents have repeatedly seen a strange glow. All this gave rise to
ufologists and lovers of the unknown hypothesis that this rock is
cosmodrome for UFO landing.

In the 20th century, mystical theories of the origin of the rock were replaced by scientific
fantastic.In 1977, Devils Tower acquired an international
fame, becoming a landing site for representatives of extraterrestrial civilization
in Steven Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

Stills from the film "Close Encounters of the Third Kind".

Geologists quite easily solved the mystery of the origin of the Tower
Devil. The fact is that 200 million years ago this area was
seabed. The bottom of this sea consisted of a huge thickness of sedimentary rocks.
Once upon a time, molten liquid was introduced into this thickness from the bowels of the earth.
magmatic mass. After the magma solidified, it formed
a columnar basalt body, which in science is called a stock.

Several million years passed and the sea retreated, sedimentary
the rocks were destroyed, gradually exposing the basalt formation.
Other scientists believe that Devils Tower is all that remains
from volcanic eruption.Erosion processes continue to this day
day, so part of the tower is hidden underground and still waiting in the wings.

For many years, Devil's Tower remained inaccessible to climbers
largely due to its unusual structure. The first time it was conquered by a local
resident at the end of the 19th century. It is not known how, but he, with practically no equipment,
climbed to the top of the rock. Unfortunately, the name of this daredevil was erased
time.

The next time a person visited the top of the Tower was only in 1938.
This time the ascent was made by a fairly experienced climber, Jack Durance.
And many years later, the already elderly Durrance had to conquer the peak a second time.
He led a group of rescue climbers who were supposed to remove
parachutist landing on top of Devil's Tower.

Parachutist George Hopkins (pictured) wanted to gain world fame,
becoming the third conqueror of the top of the Devil's Tower. Moreover, he did not intend
climb a rock along steep walls, but decided to land on it with a parachute.
Although Hopkins was warned about the danger of his plan, he decided to take the risk
and successfully landed at the very top. And then it turned out that the experienced parachutist
clearly overestimated his strength and cannot go down to the plain. Remove him using
It was not possible to get a helicopter because a hurricane wind was constantly blowing at the top of the rock.
So he became a prisoner of the rock. The news of this spread throughout America.
Crowds of people surrounded the Tower, and the captive TV star poured out witticisms in a live
radio broadcast. Everyone liked the joke that all he needed was Eva, so that if
there, below, the flood will give rise to a new branch of humanity. Soon there will be dozens
planes circled in the air, dropping food and equipment on Hopkins.
Tired of dodging falling objects, the parachutist began to beg on the radio
stop the bombing, especially since most of what is being dropped anyway
flew into the abyss. Despite the abundance of food, the strength quickly left the prisoner.

To his horror, it turned out that the inaccessible smooth granite rock was inhabited by rats,
who became more and more impudent every night. A specially created Committee
to rescue Hopkins, called in an experienced climber for a rescue operation
Ernst Field and his partner Gorrell from Colorado. But the climbers after
hours of visual reconnaissance and three hours of ascent were forced to return
and give up further attempts. Field admitted: “We need this damn
the boulder is too tough!" It seemed incredible - these professionals conquered the peaks
height of more than 8000 m, but were powerless in front of a height of only 400
meters. The committee began looking for Jack Durrance through the press and only later
day they found him. Soon he arrived and began preparations for climbing the
the old route, known to him alone. At exactly noon the assault began,
and, although the summit was shrouded in fog, the climbers, led by Durrance
got to the top, and then lowered down on a climbing cradle
exhausted parachutist. In total, Hopkins was a prisoner
Towers for about a week.

Years have passed, and today, the previously impregnable Devil's Tower is one of the most
popular objects among climbers.

This became possible thanks to the emergence of a new, more modern
equipment, as well as increased professionalism among the climbers themselves.
The sheer walls of the rock are literally dotted with the most different routes,
along which several hundred ascents to the top have already been made.
On the day of our arrival, we also observed one of these ascents
and I even tried to take a few pictures at that moment. But, probably
these climbers were not experienced, since all their attempts were unsuccessful
success.

For many Indian tribes, this rock was deeply revered as a saint.
a place of search and acquisition of sacred knowledge. The Indians still come
to the Devil's Tower to conduct their sacred rituals. The most famous
The festival, the Sun Dance, is held here in June, around the solstice.
In this regard, there is even an unofficial agreement among climbers
Do not come to Devil's Tower at this time.

The sign reads: "The tower is considered sacred by the American Indians.
and is highly valued by other peoples. Respect this place..."

When you look at the edges of a mountain from below and see debris piled up at the foot
and the columns leaning here and there, it seems that the structure is very unstable.
However, according to scientists, the last break of such a column occurred around
ten thousand years ago.

Despite the notoriety, or maybe precisely because of it, every year to the Tower
About five hundred thousand tourists from all over the world come to the Devil. Of course,
not all of them climb to the top of the rock, but mostly inspect
from below or from sightseeing planes.
The area around Devil's Tower became the First National Park of the United States.
This status was awarded to him by President Roosevelt in 1906.

Devil's Tower is a mysterious monument in the heart of the Great Plains (USA, Wyoming) not far from Yellowstone National Park. Scientists argue over its origin, and local residents invent legends. Some believe this is a UFO landing site. Where could this huge rock in the middle of the plain come from?

But first things first.

Enlarged map of Devil's Tower. (Google maps)

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Devil's Tower on Google map maps

The Devil's Tower is located at an altitude of 1556 meters above sea level and rises 386 meters above the surrounding area. She is the first " national monument» USA, which received its status from President Roosevelt in 1906. Every year, 400,000 tourists visit Devil's Tower.

The lines on the tower are so straight that it is difficult to believe that it was not created by man.

In winter, snow practically does not linger on the slopes due to their steepness.

The tower is shrouded in fog and it seems that it is hanging in the air.

The color is highly dependent on lighting and varies from orange to white.

It seems that aliens from other worlds are somewhere nearby.

There is a very beautiful view from the airplane window.

With this lighting, the tower became white.

At night it looks even more mysterious and mystical.

In the Lakota language, the monument is called Mato Tipila, which means House of the Bear or Bear's Den. It received its current name by mistake. In 1875, during an expedition led by Colonel Richard Dodge, the translator mistranslated the words of the Indians. As a result, the monument was first called the House of the Bad God, and later - the Devil's Tower. In 2005, several Native American tribes proposed renaming the monolith Bear Lodge, but their proposal was rejected.

Geologists agree that the tower is formed from volcanic material. But they cannot agree on how it was formed.

According to one version, the territory of the Great Plains was once covered by the sea and sedimentary layers formed at its bottom. At the site where the Devil's Tower is now, molten magma penetrated into the sedimentary rocks from the bowels of the earth. Having pushed apart the sandstones, shales and limestones that made up the seabed, the magma solidified before reaching the surface in the form of a columnar basalt body. After millions of years, the sea gave way to land and rain and wind began to destroy softer sedimentary rocks. And the harder volcanic stock began to rise upward little by little. The basalts from which it is composed, during cooling, turned into picturesque vertical formations, similar to hexagonal pillars. Due to this, the mountain seems to have been created by human hands, or by the hands of the devil, but certainly not by nature.

Other scientists believe that Devils Tower is all that remains from a volcanic eruption. Erosion processes continue to this day, so that part of the tower hidden underground is still waiting in the wings.

The Indians have their own version of the origin of Devil's Tower. According to legend, seven girls were walking in the forest and were attacked by huge angry bears. The girls ran for a long time from the angry animals, but the bears did not lag behind. With the last of their strength, the children climbed onto a small rock and began to utter prayers for salvation to the Great Spirit. The spirit heard the girls' pleas and the stone began to grow rapidly. Thus, the girls began to move away from the bears. Enraged, the animals tried to climb the rock, but they failed. And on the rock forever the traces of their huge claws remained. At the same time, the mountain grew and grew upward until the girls were able to step into the sky, where they turned into the stars of the Pleiades.

Nowadays, people continue to engage in myth-making. According to the beliefs of some local residents, the top of the rock is a landing site for UFOs. There are good reasons for this. Unidentified flying objects have been repeatedly spotted in the vicinity of the mountain, and strange light phenomena have been spotted on the top of the rock. Lightning very often strikes the top of the Devil's Tower. And the fact that this damn rock is the only object towering over the area is not an argument for them.

Devil's Tower was considered impregnable for a long time. It was first climbed by two local farmers at the end of the 19th century. They used ladders rather than climbing equipment to climb. The climber's ascent took place only in 1938. It was Jack Durance. The third person to climb the inaccessible rock was professional parachutist George Hopkins, who reached the top of the mountain from above in 1941. He jumped out of the plane with a parachute. The landing was successful, but getting down from the Tower was not as easy as Hopkins thought. The ropes that were dropped to him from the planes fell by or were damaged by hitting the rocks. It was not possible to use a helicopter or airship due to poor weather conditions. The paratrooper was captured on a rock.

Jack Durance before jumping to Devil's Tower.

In my opinion, in 1941 the Americans didn’t have these yet.)))

All of America was talking about this news. As it turned out, none of the climbers could climb to the top of the rock. I had to look for Jack Durance. In the end, he saved Hopkins by climbing the mountain again.

Today the Tower is very popular among climbers and climbers. And interest in it continues to grow. A considerable number of routes have already been laid to the top of the Tower. The structure of the rock is very unusual, and therefore the climbing technique also requires additional skills. For example, the ability to move across terrain in a spread and crack climbing.

Video: “Conquering the Devil's Tower”

Of the 400,000 tourists who visit Devil's Tower each year, only one percent decides to climb to the top. But the Indians are against crowds of tourists climbing to the top of the rock, since it is sacred to them. Therefore, most climbers do not climb here in June. At this time, the Indians hold their ceremonies.

You can get to Devil's Tower: in the USA by any (road, air, rail) mode of transport to the city of Rapid City (or Gillette in the northeast of Wyoming); then only by car up to the hill.

At the end, as always, I bring to your attention a short video.

Finally, I would like to say that this mountain appears in films about aliens. Such as: “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” (1977) - Steven Spielberg and “Paul” (2011) - Greg Mottola.

That's it for sure now!!! And to hell with this tower!

Devil's Tower ( Devils Tower) is a columnar rock resembling a tower, consisting of individual stone pillars stacked in a bunch, located in Wyoming. This mountain of unusually regular shape, which arose 200 million years ago, has long impressed artificial structure, but not of human, but of devilish origin. It is worth noting that the rock is 2.5 times larger than the Cheops pyramid.

The mountain has long served as an object of reverent worship and a source of fear among the local population, while it was claimed that strange mysterious light phenomena were repeatedly observed at the very top.

The Indians say that one day seven beautiful girls climbed to the flat top of a mountain to escape a huge, scary bear. The beast, desperate to catch the girls, left deep claw marks on the slopes as it tried to climb up. When the bear finally managed to reach the top, the girls jumped onto a small rock and escaped the fate of dying in the claws of the monster, soaring into the sky.

According to another myth, the Devil's Tower got its mystical name because of an evil demon who beat a drum at the top, generating thunder. Be that as it may, the rock really amazes with its size and bizarre shape. This is the most high point at a distance of many kilometers around, on clear days it can be seen from 160 km away.

We conquered this peak only twice: local in the 19th century and rock climber Jack Durrance in 1938. The plane cannot land on the top, and helicopters are literally blown away from a small area. Experienced skydiver George Hopkins expected to become the third conqueror of the summit.

The landing was successful, but all the special ropes that were dropped from the planes became unusable when they hit the rocks. The parachutist became a prisoner of the rock. The news of this spread throughout America. Soon dozens of planes were circling the air, dropping free food and equipment on Hopkins. But most of them didn’t make it.

It turned out that the inaccessible smooth granite rock was inhabited by rats, which became more impudent every night. A specially created committee to rescue Hopkins called in experienced climber Ernst Field and his partner. But the climbers, after 3 hours of climbing, were forced to return. Field admitted: “We can’t handle this damn block! Professionals conquer peaks higher than 8 km, but are powerless before a height of 390 meters!”

The committee began to look for D. Durrance through the press. Two days later he arrived and began preparing for the ascent along a route known to him. The climbers, led by Durrance, reached the top and lowered the exhausted parachutist down. In total, Hopkins remained a prisoner of the Tower for about a week.

Photo - Devil's Tower















Video - the mystery of the Devil's Tower

 

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