The real Devil's Tower exists in Northeastern Wyoming. It sits in
supreme majesty near the end of the Black Hills National Forest. The
tower is in my memory from many happy gatherings near there as a
youngster. And more recently, last summer, I attended "The Old Settlers"
picnic nearby. Our children also have been there and remember it with
awe. It's impossible to describe the majesty of this ancient oddity. To
look upwards to the top is a dizzying experience. My husband Gilbert was
privileged at the age of 12, to fly over and also around the tower, in a
private plane of the doctor who brought his mother and him to the US. He
remembers birds on the top, and I've read since that there is brush and
grass growing up there also.
The Devil's Tower rises 1,267 feet and is not a true mountain, but a
craggy volcanic formation. The rocks at the base are fallen portions of
the vertical shafts that run up around the monument. It's one mile to
walk around it, as I've done several times. Just the fallen slabs are
huge and fearful. The formation is a well known climbing mountain, not
extremely difficult, but enough so to draw many climbers each year.
The buffalo (also called bison) no longer exist in the wild here, sadly.
Long ago killed off by hunters. But I could not resist putting them
there, knowing once they roamed these plains by the thousands. They now
exist on many nature reserves, and in Yellowstone National Park which is
in Northwestern Wyoming. There are several herds in Colorado; in fact a
herd recently was integrated into the Rocky Mountain Arsenal Nature
Preserve - pure blood bison from Montana. Few purebreds remain as they
have been crossed with cattle to "tame" them for breeding and meat
production. I've seen many of them here on nearby ranches, and they are
truly one of natures majestic animals - with maybe a smile thrown in. Millie Carrée. |
