BLACK HILLS & BADLANDS REGION “Circle of Sacred Smoke” sculpture near Devils Tower National Monument DEVILS TOWER NATIONAL MONUMENT A SACRED HISTORY Two geologic features protrude out of the rolling prairie that surrounds the Black Hills region. Both of the sites are considered sacred places to the Lakota and other tribes that have a connection to the Black Hills and sur-rounding area. One Lakota legend connects the two sites, Devils Tower in Wyoming and Bear Butte in South Dakota. It tells of two Sioux boys who wandered far from their village. Mato the bear, a huge creature with claws the size of teepee poles, spotted them and wanted to eat them for breakfast. He was almost upon them when the boys prayed to Wakan Tanka, the Creator, to help them. They rose up on a huge rock, while Mato tried to get up from every side, leaving huge scratch marks as he did. Finally, he sauntered off, disappointed and discouraged. 38 SPEND A DAY AT AMERICA’S FIRST NATIONAL MONUMENT Devils Tower National Monument, a unique and striking geologic wonder steeped in Indian legend, is a modern day national park and rock climbers’ challenge. The bear came to rest northeast of the Black Hills at what is now Bear Butte. Wanblee, the eagle, helped the boys off the rock and back to their village. At the Devils Tower Visitor Center, a painting depicting the Cheyenne legend hangs over the fireplace. According to this legend and others, the tower’s grooves are the claw marks of a great bear. Today, both landmarks are national trea-sures, and both retain their spiritual significance to the region’s Native American tribes. Visitors can easily visit both during a day’s journey in the Northern Hills. SEE & DO The drive through the Belle Fourche River Valley is particularly beautiful, no matter the season. As one ap-proaches the town of Hulett , glimpses of Devils Tower come tantalizingly into view. Larger and larger it looms, until the dramatic pillar, rising 1,267 feet above the
South Dakota Vacation Guide SD Vacation Guide 2017: Page 38
