Photograph as originally submitted to this page in the Historical Marker Database www.HMdb.org. Click on photo to resize in browser. Scroll down to see metadata.

Photographer: William J. Toman
Taken: August 12, 2010
Caption: Related Marker at Tower Visitors Center
Additional Description: What's in a name?
In historical context, the name Devils Tower is a recent adaptation. For centuries, many Northern Plains Indians referred to this place by names related to origin stories in which the bear often plays a significant role. Such names include:

Mato Tipila (Bear Lodge)--Lakota
T'sou'a'e (Aloft on a Rock)--Kiowa
Woox-nii-non (Bear's Tipi)--Arapaho
Na kovea (Grizzly Bear's House)--Cheyenne
Daxpitche'e Awaasuua (Bear's House)--Crow

Early maps assign the name "Bear Lodge" to this unique rock formation. Following an 1873 military expedition led by Colonel Richard Dodge, the name "Devils Tower" appeared and gained notoriety. In 1906, when designated our nation's first National Monument, the name Devils Tower was formally adopted.
Submitted: August 12, 2010, by William J. Toman of Green Lake, Wisconsin.
Database Locator Identification Number: p122249
File Size: 3.250 Megabytes

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