Devils Tower Wyoming, originally uploaded by GregDawson.
On a recent road trip to Sturgis, my bromate and I put an afternoon aside to go see Devils Tower in Wyoming.
The name Devils Tower originated in 1875 during an expedition led by Col. Richard Irving Dodge when his interpreter misinterpreted the name to mean Bad God’s Tower. This was later shortened to the Devils Tower.
Greg Dawson
3 responses so far ↓
slamdunk // August 10, 2009 at 10:02 pm |
Great picture–I have always wanted to go there.
Ogden Driskill // August 11, 2009 at 6:22 pm |
Your timing on the naming of Devils Tower is right, but the explanation is wrong. The interpter was a native american and explained very well to Dodge that this was a place where bad spirits were. Native Americans do no believe in God or the devil-there was no words in the english language to match what was being told to Dodge. His closest translation was “bad god’s tower”, hence Devils Tower. Dodge is often portrayed as being ignorant or ubinformed-this is absolutly not the case. Dodge wrote several books about Native American customs and practices and was kbown as a person who greatly respected and understood their ways and customs. Our family has resided in the area since the 1880s-the land in the foreground is part of our family ranch.
Also there is no apostphere in Devils Tower name.
Ogden Driskill
Greg Dawson // August 11, 2009 at 7:53 pm |
@Slamdunk – Thanks, it was a great trip and the scenery in and around the Black Hills was amazing!
@Ogden – Thank you so much for the clarification! I don’t know much about the area, but it’s very intriguing. This was my first time and I’m sure I’ll be back. Much appreciate!