Images of Devils Tower National Monument – Northeastern Wyoming, taken in July 2017.

As the first declared US National Monument, Devils Tower National Monument is a sacred place to the American Indian Tribes that have inhabited this area for thousands of years and each have a story that explain how it was created. Today there are several theories of how this unique formation came to be but the truth remains a mystery.

The Tower, known by most people from its appearance in the 1977 movie “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”, stands out in the otherwise rolling hills of the Black Hills National Forest. It is interesting from every angle and remarkable in the glow of the early morning light. Additionally I stumbled across a small group of Longhorn Steers grazing near the entrance of the park which gave me the opportunity to create a “wild west” view of the formation. This park also includes a large Prairie Dog Town full of Black-Tailed Prairie Dogs which will amuse anyone who takes the time to watch their antics but there is no doubt that the tower is the highlight. Although this is a small park dominated by a single feature it is a spectacular feature indeed.