SkunkyArt | Mac-Wiz — Devil's Tower-4

In 1906, President Teddy Roosevelt named the tower the United States' first national monument.

Devils Tower had a starring role in Steven Spielberg's sci-fi classic Close Encounters of the Third Kind . 2017 marks the 40th anniversary of the film and visitors to the area can attend this year's Devils Tower UFO Rendezvous or catch a nightly viewing of the movie at the Devils Tower KOA .

Also known as Bears Lodge, the tower is considered a sacred worship site by many American Indians who leave colorful prayer cloths tied to trees near its base (please don’t disturb them).

According to the National Park Service, “When the proclamation establishing Devils Tower was published, the apostrophe was unintentionally dropped from 'Devil’s' — and this clerical error was never officially corrected.”

Rocks regularly break away from the tower's steep walls.

A variety of animals make their home in and around the monument, including deer, prairie dogs, rabbits, bats, red fox and bobcats.