By Carrie Patrick B 1
Bear Lodge. Bear’s House. Bear’s Tipi. To the Arapaho, Cheyenne, Crow, Kiowa, Lakota, Shoshone and other Plains Indian nations, America’s fi rst National Monument was a sacred place, and almost all of them named it for the great bear whose claw marks they believed could be seen in the rock. But in 1875, a surveyors’ expedition mis- interpreted “Bear God’s Tower” as “Bad God’s Tower,” and so the name on the maps became the one most people today are familiar with— Devils Tower. The modern name of the Bear’s
House remains a sore point with many Native Americans today. On the trail around the base of this spectacular formation, prayer cloths and prayer bundles fl utter on pine branches in the warm sum- mer breeze, with most of the little amulets concentrated on the north side. The Plains Indian cultures are still very much alive in Wyoming, and few people of any religion want their sacred places to be tagged with devilish connotations. However, the most recent push for an offi cial name change (in 2005) fell fl at, so, for now at least, Devils Tower it must remain. Whatever you call it—and
whether you’re more infuriated by the name or by the offi cial lack of an apostrophe—the monolith is awe-inspiring. Approaching on the highway from the south, your fi rst glimpse of Devils Tower comes from many miles away. It rises from the lovely rolling hills and pine forests of the Belle Fourche River region like a fairytale castle, pale and mysterious with its distance, carrying an immense and powerful presence. Your fi rst reaction may be
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Day 1 Day 2 Day 3
Sheridan
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1 Devils Tower l 2 Vore Buffalo Jump l 3 Custer State Park
a visceral sense of wonder. Your next is likely to be a more prosaic “It’s still how far away? Just how big is that thing?” It’s defi nitely big enough to justify a weekend road trip from the
Front Range. This route can be completed easily over a three-day weekend, or even on a regular weekend if you’re willing to leave work a little early and make the drive up on Friday night. Along the way, you’ll have a chance to enjoy some of the best scenic drives of two different states.
Day 1 Colorado to the Black Hills
Let’s be realistic: If this is your fi rst trip north on I-25, much of the six-hour drive from Denver to Sundance, Wyo. will have you rip- ping up this magazine and shouting “SCENIC?!” at the hundreds of square miles of absolutely nothing which you’re about to see. Trust me, it gets better. The last part of the route wanders the west- ern edges of South Dakota’s beautiful Black Hills, then opens into lush farmland closer to Sundance. This tiny town beneath Sundance Mountain has a handful of motels and very limited dining. Higbee’s Cafe claims “Fine Food,
EnCompass March/April 2012 23
Denver
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