The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1890-09-03
THE DEVILS. 10 II nh,
A Curious Natural obeliss in East
ern Wyoming.
An Awe-Inspirins Monument of Natures
Neutrality-suspicious. an Enterprisins en-
g,ish Lady Intends to Make
Money Out of 1t.

Money Out of 1t.
The new State of Wyoming has be-
come famous already for its natural
scenery, writes st. Louis Globe Demo-
GRAFT correspondent from Deadwooa, S.
d. Nowhere or the face of the globe
has nature displayed her mysterious
power with more lavish hand than she
has here. The greater portion of IVY
oming is a rolling tabie-land, with here
and there q short, abrupt range Of
mountains, or group OF hills rather, ris-
ing up out of an illimitable. arid and
treeless plain. The eastern portion
slopes away to the Black hills of South
Dakota, which form black wall along
the south half OF the eastern boundary
between Wyoming and South Dakota.
If you stand on some one of the highest
peaks of the Black Hills, Mount Harvey
for instance, you can see half way across
the State of Wyoming, and the only OBJ
struction which meets your vision as you
Devils Tower, or Dear Lodge, in the
direction of the Belle Fourche river.
The Devils Tower is 100 miles north
west from Mount Harvey and % mil'@
west of tho Dakota line. tits in Crook
County, Wyo., 20 miles wcstot Snndaacc
and about half mile from the Bellc
Fourche. Except the remarkable
phenomena found in the Yellowstone
Park in Northwestern Wyoming, there
are none that will compare for grandeur
with this awe-inspiring monument Of
natures handiwori in Eastern Wyom-
ing. The DEVILS Tower" or Bear
Lodge" is said by geologists TO he with
out a precedent in basalJic cryStalliza-
tion 1t is natural obelisk rising
sheer 1900 feet above the banks of tho
Belle Fourchc. 1t is 500 feet in diameter
at the base, tapering in a graceful con-
vex &c Il diamete. of $50 feet at the top.
1t is composed Of thousands of prisrns
that extend unbrollen from base to SUN
nit This continuity of the cryS tails is
the remarkable feature OF tao mdss. the
tendency Of the tgappe rock I'D ing to
fracture trausycrscly III crystalli cation,
and weather. away TO the appearance of
stairs, as in the Giants Canseway,
ireland. Prof Newton sars: Dear
Lodge. or Devils Tower, IN its shape
and structure appears nos TO have
been repeated elsewhere by nature, Bat
stands alone, unique and mysterious.
1t occupies the place Of chimney
10 some subterranean furnace. winch
ovcrnowed with molten rocl, ana cool
inc. crystallized downward The sur
rounding walls OF the chimney erodcd
and left this mighty monument to the
work of Observation-Disclosures power
scarcely less mysterious than the fore
OF life ITSELF
The land in the vicinity of Devils
Tower is arid and fit only for grazing
Some wheat is grown in the noighbor,
hood, oats and timothy and other small
grain. but crops are uncertain AND
rarely ever amount to more than hall
a crop. In view OF this f,.et, the peo-
pie OF Crook County were surprised %
the announcement Z few days aro tha'
an English lady. one Miss CaeiisI
Kent, had fled pre-cmption ON IA
100 acres on which DEVILS Tower stea6
in the land Office al Douglas. W'yo
BY tacit consent Of the community il
was intended that this land should ye,
main public property. The filing Wa
kept profound secret for some tire
the citizens having no intimation that
an attempt was being made TO monopo-
lie their grand old tower, the pride Of
Eastern Wyoming, and hence, as the
fact has become generally known, IN
indignant protest has gone TIP from
every part of the community Mt the au-
dacity of this English woman. The
citizens are determined that this tower
shall become the private property Of no
one, much less of 4 foreigner, for it is
alleged that Miss Kent took out her
naturalization papers only Il short time
ago for the express purpose of filing Oh
this land.
Miss Kent's idea. it is alleged, Wa $ to
secure this ground and convert it inl o q
magnificent private park. riralling the
Yellowstone, and charge visitors IN adj
mittanca fee. Although the iameof
Devils Tower is chiefly local, visitors
come hundreds Of miles to see it, and
the number who come is increasing
every year. II is becoming an object OF
interest, also. to scientists. some Of
whom have already visited the spot and
written about il. The advent of rail,
roads. making travc! into this section
easier and speedier, will materially in
crease the number of visitors going
thither.
Now that this matter is before the
public, it is probable thata strong effort
will be made to have Congress set apart
tract OF land. including that on which
DEVILS Tower stands, asa National park,
similar to that on the Yellowstone. An
area two miles in width by five miles in
lenghth would include Bear Lodge and
the Twin Bu!tes. On tho Little Missouri
river, and the intervening Landscape,
which, combined, forms natural park
without rival for grandeur and beauty
on the face of the earth.
MILLIONS At STAKE.