Campbell County(14) ► Weston County(17) ► Carter County, Montana(8) ► Powder River County, Montana(7) ► Butte County, South Dakota(12) ► Lawrence County, South Dakota(137) ►
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The adit, a horizontal entrance (located north of you), was extended into the sandstone cliff face with cut native sandstone blocks. The blocks were capped with large log beams spanned with small diameter ponderosa pine decking and then cover with . . . — — Map (db m98066) HM
The Aladdin Tipple in Crook County, Wyoming, was constructed as part of the Aladdin coal mining operations. In 1898, an 18-mile-long short line known as the Wyoming and Missouri River Railroad was built to connect coal mines near Aladdin with the . . . — — Map (db m34833) HM
The gray substance that you see surrounding the tipple, and upon which this sign is located, is coal waste known as "coal slack". Coal slack provides a unique site for land surface healing by natural life processes (bioremediation). Interaction of . . . — — Map (db m98092) HM
Coal Production
The Aladdin Coal Mine began operation in 1898. One of the earliest descriptions of the coal operations at Aladdin is provided by this 1899 Wyoming Coal Mine Inspector report:
Aladdin No. 1 - This mine is situated at . . . — — Map (db m98065) HM
During the summer of 1874, General George Armstrong Custer led the first official government expedition to the Black Hills, which the Sioux Indians claimed as their territory. Although the United States Government officially sent this expedition of . . . — — Map (db m34586) HM
By 1911 the industrial production of coal at the Aladdin Mine was dwindling. Later coal mining at the site was for domestic coal for heating and cooking. The coal was reportedly "a good coal which burned so hot it made the stove top rattle." The . . . — — Map (db m98061) HM
The hoist house (directly west) is a later addition to the coal mine. An internal combustion engine replaced the beasts of burden who originally hauled the coal from within the depths of the hillside. The hoist house is a simple 2 x 4 framed shed . . . — — Map (db m98091) HM
The structure before you is one of the last historic wooden coal tipples left in the west. The wooden tipple structure is an example of mine engineering technology used in the late 1800's and early 1900's. This type of structure is no longer used in . . . — — Map (db m98064) HM
The tilt of the tipple shown in the photos was the result of time and the elements. The degree of tilt and the fact that this structure did not completely collapse is remarkable. The corrosive nature of the coal slack waste piles caused the buried . . . — — Map (db m98063) HM
Plains Indians depended upon buffalo for many of their material needs - food, shelter, clothing, tools, fuel, ceremonial objects, even toys. Prior to acquiring horses in the 18th century, hunting individual animals on foot with bows and arrows was . . . — — Map (db m45545) HM
The enormous task of butchering began immediately after the kill. Adult men and women worked in teams to rapidly skin carcasses and begin cutting them into pieces small enough to be carried out of the sinkhole, possibly by adolescents. Meat . . . — — Map (db m113174) HM
The Vore site was discovered during the construction of Interstate Highway 90. A crew of archaeologists from the University of Wyoming spent two summers (1970 and 1971) determining the horizontal and vertical extent of the cultural materials . . . — — Map (db m113173) HM
Plains Indians required large quantities of meat and hides for food, shelter, clothing, and other material needs. Harvesting as many buffalo as needed by hunting on foot in the severe winter weather would be nearly impossible. Therefore, northern . . . — — Map (db m98094) HM
Look around you! This valley was an excellent habitat for buffalo. The herd-gathering area was open grassland north, west, and southwest of the sinkhole. Natural drainage supplemented by man-made structures provided drivelines. The sinkhole was an . . . — — Map (db m98095) HM
Indians used a combination of drivelines, controlled harassment, and decoys to move the herd toward the intended trap. Here at the Vore site, drainages were probably used to keep the herd together and headed in the desired direction. In . . . — — Map (db m113175) HM
Buffalo are fast, strong, and often unpredictable animals, but Indians understood bison behavior and used this knowledge effectively. For example, the Indians knew that manipulating herds of buffalo was easier than controlling individual animals. In . . . — — Map (db m98096) HM
The vast valley below was once an overflowing bounty of resources. The rich grasslands and forest flooded often with fresh water, attracting elk and bison to graze. The sacred bison gave life with every part of its body, providing food and shelter . . . — — Map (db m202617) HM
After landing a parachute atop the Tower, George Hopkins watched his 1,000-foot-long descent rope fall out of reach. It was his only way down. Stuck and afraid to fall asleep on the summit, Hopkins paced in the gusty October wind while rescue plans . . . — — Map (db m202615) HM
Devils Tower, an important landmark for Plains Indian tribes long before the white man reached Wyoming, was called Mateo Tepee, or Grizzly Bear Lodge, by the Sioux. A number of Indian legends describe the origin of Devils Tower. One legend tells . . . — — Map (db m34465) HM
Although Devils Tower has long been a prominent landmark in northeastern Wyoming. the origin of the mammoth rock obelisk remains somewhat obscure. Geologists agree that Devils Tower consist of molten rock forced upward from deep within the earth. . . . — — Map (db m97986) HM
President Theodore Roosevelt proclaimed Devils Tower a national monument on September 24, 1906.
President Roosevelt acted under the authority of of the Antiquities Act of 1906 which declared, "that the President of the United States is . . . — — Map (db m98001) HM
Music! Dancing! Baseball! Food! Drink! Friends! Relatives! All this and more took place at the Old Settler's Picnic. Pioneer gatherings at the Tower, usually on the 4th of July, started in the 1890s. These events drew hundreds for the biggest local . . . — — Map (db m98000) HM
The Tower boasts a rich and colorful climbing history. In 1893 two local ranchers first climbed the Tower using a wooden stake ladder (below). Forty-four years later, Fritz Wiessner made the first ascent using ropes and modern techniques.
The . . . — — Map (db m202612) HM
All climbers have a reason. The first climbers on record to summit Devils Tower, Willard Ripley and William Rogers, faced a bleak year on the ranch. Money was scarce, but Rogers had an idea. As Rogers gathered materials, Ripley built a ladder that . . . — — Map (db m202616) HM
Ever wonder what those big concrete pyramids down by the river are? Why are they there? How long have they been there?
Before the Keyhole Dam was built in 1952, the old bridge (built in 1928) across the Belle Fourche River was frequently . . . — — Map (db m113168) HM
Ancient rivers took millions of years to excavate Devils Tower. The waters carried away softer sedimentary rocks leaving behind the hard igneous rock called phonolite. This rock type is found here in northeastern Wyoming, and central Montana, but . . . — — Map (db m72588)
The Ft. Laramie treaties of 1851 & 1868 set aside the Black Hills for the Sioux, for as long as the grass shall grow and the river shall flow. Nevertheless, in 1874 Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer was sent to investigate rumors of gold in the area . . . — — Map (db m42556) HM
Devils Tower, known as Bear's Lodge to Northern Plains Tribes, rises high above the Belle Fourche River, grasslands, and ponderosa pine forests. This major landmark of the Northern Great Plains has attracted people for thousands of years. Today, it . . . — — Map (db m34463) HM
The process began about 50 million years ago. Magma (molten rock) was injected into layers of sedimentary rock, forming the Tower one and one-half miles below the earth’s surface. It has since taken millions of years to erode away the surrounding . . . — — Map (db m72589)
Above ground, prairie dogs are usually looking for plants to eat, eating, or scanning for predators. At a warning bark, prairie dogs dive into a dark city of tunnels, where they spend more than half their lives. They play an important role in the . . . — — Map (db m71946)
The Tower and Black Hills area have been a gathering place and home to many people. Archeological discoveries show that native people lived here 10,000 years ago. As time passed, Arapaho, Cheyenne, Crow, Kiowa, Lakota, and Shoshone all developed . . . — — Map (db m72587) HM
Though rising only 600 ft above the floor of the plains, Inyan Kara Mountain stands
as one of the most important cultural and historical landmarks of the Black Hills. Inyan
Kara forms an important part of the sacred geography of the Black Hills . . . — — Map (db m98275) HM
The arid basins and prairies of Wyoming lie in the rain shadow of our great mountain ranges. The shortgrass prairie of eastern Wyoming and Colorado are also that is left of this native grassland type. Buffalo grass and drama grasses typify the . . . — — Map (db m97985) HM
Along this trail passed herds of cattle from distant Texas to replace the fast vanishing buffalo and build a civilization on the north-western plains. — — Map (db m97984) HM
Also known as "Temple of the Sioux," Sundance Mountain rises majestically in the southwest. It belongs to the Bear Lodge Mountain Range, which defines the northwestern edge of the Black Hills. It was named for the Plains Indians' religious . . . — — Map (db m45541) HM
The Red Valley surrounding you belongs to the transition zone between the flat, treeless Great Plains and the pine-forested Black Hills. Artesian springs and creeks draining from the hills and mountains create draws that provide water, shade, and . . . — — Map (db m45536) HM
The Black Hills area currently boasts Wyoming's largest population of white-tailed deer and wild turkeys. Pronghorn antelope, mule deer, red squirrels and sharp-tailed grouse are also common.
Excerpts from journals of the Colonel George Custer . . . — — Map (db m98137) HM
Serving as a western gateway to the Black Hills, Crook County, Wyoming is a place of beauty and diversity. The varied terrain includes the state's lowest elevation, 3,125 feet, situated north of the town of Aladdin, while rugged Warren Peak rises to . . . — — Map (db m98136) HM
In July 1874 Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer, and more that 1000 soldiers, camped near here while engaged in a military expedition to explore the Black Hills. The expedition's official purpose was to locate a suitable site for an army . . . — — Map (db m98140) HM
"What is there more kindly than the feeling between host and guest?"
- Aeschylus
Matthew S. Driskill, a valued member
of Wyoming's tourism industry,
embodied the true meaning of
hospitality by always treating
strangers as friends.
In . . . — — Map (db m186539) HM
Giant cypress trees growing today in swamps (or forested wetlands), such as these found in Louisiana's Pointe Lake, used to grow in Wyoming back when it was a warm, subtropical swamp - about 55 million years ago during the Late Paleocene epoch. Some . . . — — Map (db m45539) HM
The first Caucasian residents of this area came as prospectors following the Black Hills Gold Rush. In 1876 the glitter of gold led them from the large mining camps of Lead and Deadwood westward to Sand Creek, located near this site. Instead of . . . — — Map (db m45535) HM
Sundance Creek nature trail extends for six blocks between City Park and Sundance Pond near the Fairgrounds. Along this leisurely walk are interpretive signs for your information and enjoyment. This self-guided trail is provided to help you . . . — — Map (db m113171) HM
Harry A. Longabaugh served time in our local jail and did take his name from Sundance, WY. Commissioned by the Sundance Area Chamber of Commerce this statue was created by South Dakota native Edward E. Hlavka.
The full story and . . . — — Map (db m113202) HM
Lieutenant Colonel George A. Custer's Black Hills Expedition crossed northeastern Wyoming from July 17-25, 1874, camping within three miles of this location. forged by 1000 men (cavalry, infantry, teamsters, scientists, miners, newspaper reporters, . . . — — Map (db m45381) HM
Located a short distance to the east and camouflaged by the red eroded landscape is the Vore Buffalo Jump. This sinkhole served early residents as a slaughterhouse. using the natural pit as a trap, hunters would capture bison in late fall by running . . . — — Map (db m45537) HM
A Fire Lookout's Job
The men and women who work in fire lookout towers locate nearly 80% of wildfires in their area. The job of the Forest Service Lookout involves observing the heavens and earth for the telltale signs of a forest . . . — — Map (db m113169) HM
