Preserving ‘Devils Tower” Name: Bill Introduced

Who gets to name a place?

It's the current owners who give it the current name.

When new owners come along, they can rename it.

Currently, America's first monument is named Devils Tower.

The name comes from a sloppy interpretation. The first white people in the area asked the Indians what they called that big rock and they tried describing a bad or mischievous god. To the white people that would be THE DEVIL.

In recent years there have been efforts to change the name.

Wyoming Senators John Barrasso and Cynthia Lummis have introduced a bill to “protect the name of the Devils Tower National Monument in northeastern Wyoming,” according to their press releases.

“Despite the fact that the monument has been known as Devils Tower since the 1800s, there have been attempts by outside groups and even the Biden administration to change the name of this well-known landmark,”

“As America’s first national monument, Devils Tower is an iconic landmark cherished by people in Wyoming and a famous stop for people visiting our great state,” Barrasso wrote. “It is important we protect the legacy of this symbolic monument for years to come.”

 

“As the first national landmark, Devils Tower holds great significance to generations of people across Wyoming and is one of the Cowboy State’s most cherished sights,” wrote Lummis.

“I am partnering with Senator Barrasso to ensure we preserve this legacy and prevent D.C. bureaucrats and out-of-state interest groups from unnecessarily changing the name of this iconic and celebrated landmark.”

By the way, if you have ever noticed that there is not an apostrophe in "DEVILS", that was a typo when the place was first listed. Another mistake that stands to this day.