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Bear Lodge Butte, known more commonly as Devil's Tower, is the core of an extinct ancient volcano, and is sacred to the many indigenous tribes of the surrounding region, who have revered it as a sacred site for millennia. The butte stands 867 feet (264 meters) tall, and rises 1,267 feet (386 meters) atop a stone outcrop above the adjacent Belle Fourche River. The butte became a National Monument in 1906, owing to its significance as a natural geologic formation, but unfortunately, this did not include the similar, though less eroded, Missouri Buttes to the northwest.
The butte is a dramatic rock formation that rises out of the surrounding landscape and is visible from miles away. Surrounded by a bluff made of sedimentary rock, the butte towers over the grassy lowlands along the Belle Fourche River, today home to wildlife, including a colony of prairie dogs. The butte stands out among the surrounding lowlands, being visible from roadways miles away, enticing tourists to stop at pull-outs to take photos and marvel at the majesty of the butte.
The butte is known to the local indigenous tribes as the "Bear's House" or "Bear Lodge," but was given the name "Devil's Tower" by a European-American visitor to the area, who misinterpreted the indigenous names of the butte. There have been ongoing efforts since the early 21st Century to change the name back to "Bear Lodge," but these have been opposed by government officials due to fears of decreased tourism.
We were taken to the ranger's office because we had been caught (unknowingly) climbing a route that was closed due to peregrine falcon nesting. We had not seen the signs. We were almost fined $200 each but they let us off with a warning.