(Copied from the National Parks website; link listed at the bottom of this blog)
Before the Kiowa came south they were camped on a stream in the far north where there were a great many bears, many of them. One day, seven little girls were playing at a distance from the village and were chased by some bears. The girls ran toward the village and the bears were just about to catch them when the girls jumped on a low rock, about three feet high. One of the girls prayed to the rock, "Rock take pity on us, rock save us!" The rock heard them and began to grow upwards, pushing the girls higher and higher. When the bears jumped to reach the girls, they scratched the rock, broke their claws, and fell on the ground.
The rock rose higher and higher, the bears still jumped at the girls until they were pushed up into the sky, where they now are, seven little stars in a group (The Pleiades). In the winter, in the middle of the night, the seven stars are right over this high rock. When the people came to look, they found the bears' claws, turned to stone, all around the base.No Kiowa living has ever seen this rock, but the old men have told about it - it is very far north where the Kiowa used to live. It is a single rock with scratched sides, the marks of the bears' claws are there yet, rising straight up, very high. There is no other like it in the whole country, there are no trees on it, only grass on top. The Kiowa call this rock "Tso-aa", a tree rock, possibly because it grew tall like a tree.
Told by I-See-Many-Camp-Fire-Places, Kiowa soldier at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, 1897.
Above is the Kiowa legend associated with Devil's Tower, which happens to be my favorite. I think there's something to be said for knowing the legends associated with the sites I see, not only for historic purposes but also for the sake of hearing a very interesting story.
Here's my opinion of the area:
*I'd never been to Wyoming so I can honestly say that driving through it was a unique experience. It's a very wide open space, very windy and very farm-ish.
*Though this isn't "technically" regarding the area, crossing over into Wyoming from Colorado was a very down-home experience. I grew up in Illinois...small crazy farm towns a go-go (and I loved it). I will honestly say with a smile that the farm smell when crossing the border reminded me of home and was fantastic.
*The site itself was incredible. We actually saw the sun rise near it and it was beautiful. The kids had a great time playing in the tall grass, climbing and carrying on.
*The Devil's Tower KOA campground is run by a hag of a woman (in my humble opinion). I stopped in and waited until AFTER they were supposed to open to get drinks for us and finally let the kids go run on the playground nearby. She stomped out, told me we were trespassing and threatened to call the police. I apologized and started explaining that I didn't realize they were trespassing and began loading up the kids. She then made it a point to talk to my boyfriend and tell HIM that she was calling the police AS HE WAS LEAVING! Incredibly rude.
*I want to go back. I want to go and explore more, maybe even do more climbing (since my hiking ability is limited right now because of physical post-surgery junk).
I fully recommend Devil's Tower: two thumbs up!!
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