Standing at 867 feet tall, Devil’s Tower, located in eastern Wyoming, has been a sacred site for Native Americans for centuries as well as being featured prominently in “ Close Encounters of the Third Kind” (1977).
One narrative surrounding its formation involves two girls attempting to escape a large bear by scurrying up a rock formation. The Great Spirit, seeing their plight, rose the rock high into the air to protect the. The distinctive basalt columns were formed from the claws of this bear’s attempt to reach them.
After renting a cabin at the nearby KOA, where “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” is shown every night in front of the monolith, I drove to the southern side at sunset to capture the light slowly fading from the tower. While standing there I could only think one thought; the energy of this land is palpable.
Canyon de Chelly National Monument is a joint venture between Navajo Nation and The National Park Service to preserve this unique area of land. The ruins throughout the monument are remnants of the Anasazi who inhabited the region between 750 and 1300 CE.
These people built their domiciles into the sides of the canyon, which offered protection from the elements as well as neighboring enemies. The land is now owned by Navajo Nation and is a sacred site. It is unique for an NPS area in that the Dinë people live on and farm the land.
The sheer size of the canyon is a sight to behold, and this area has been the fascination of photographers since the 1800s, with photographer Edward S. Curtis being one of the first to show its massive scale on celluloid.
Standing at 867 feet tall, Devil’s Tower, located in eastern Wyoming, has been a sacred site for Native Americans for centuries as well as being featured prominently in “ Close Encounters of the Third Kind” (1977).
The Lakota tribe refers to it as Mato Tipila, roughly translating to “Bear Lodge”. One narrative surrounding its formation involves two girls attempting to escape a large bear by scurrying up a rock formation. The Great Spirit, seeing their plight, rose the rock high into the air to protect them. As the bear attempted to reach them, he clawed the sides of the rock, which formed the basalt columns seen today.
After renting a cabin at the nearby KOA, where “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” is shown every night in front of the monolith, I drove to the southern side at sunset to capture the light slowly fading from the tower. While standing there I could only think one thought; the energy of this land is palpable.
Standing at 867 feet tall, Devil’s Tower, located in eastern Wyoming, has been a sacred site for Native Americans for centuries as well as being featured prominently in “ Close Encounters of the Third Kind” (1977).
One narrative surrounding its formation involves two girls attempting to escape a large bear by scurrying up a rock formation. The Great Spirit, seeing their plight, rose the rock high into the air to protect the. The distinctive basalt columns were formed from the claws of this bear’s attempt to reach them.
After renting a cabin at the nearby KOA, where “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” is shown every night in front of the monolith, I drove to the southern side at sunset to capture the light slowly fading from the tower. While standing there I could only think one thought; the energy of this land is palpable.