Photo from open sources
In the central United States east of the Rockies, Great plains – foothill plateau, flat as a table. Neither a ravine nor a tubercle tens of kilometers around. In the very center of the plateau – a giant rock 300 m in diameter at the base, 86 at the top and towering 386m – Devil’s Tower.
Tower of bad god
Photo from open sources
Photo from open sources
The Indians never settled near this rock, did not become camp during wanderings, and even hitting this area, sought get out of it as soon as possible, and as far as possible. Rock they called the Tower of the bad god, believed that at its top dwells evil demon. In the XX century, the Great Plains began to develop white immigrants and the “bad god” became the devil.
Such a gloomy name the rock owes not only to its unusual appearance, but also its inaccessibility – for millennia a man’s foot didn’t step on its top. The first to be there in 1893 year local farmers Wilford Ripley and William Rogers. Not having no clue about climbing equipment, they just drove into cracked rock wooden pegs and climbed up them.
Despite the simplicity of the method, over the next 45 years no one did not dare to repeat this ascent. Only in 1938 professional rock climber Jack Durrance climbed to the top Towers.
Loser hero
In 1941, an ode to paratrooper George Hopkins decided to conquer the rock, but in a somewhat unusual way: not climbing it, but going down on her crown on a parachute. The descent was made filigree. Having calculated everything to the millimeter, Hopkins landed in the center platforms and instantly became an American hero. Euphoria have the paratrooper went quickly. It turned out that to go down the mountain yet harder than climbing it.
Photo from open sources
Airplanes could not land at the site due to its small sizes. The hopes of a helicopter did not materialize: The 386-meter-high winds simply blew away the equipment. Parachutist appeared in the role of Fyodor’s father from “12 chairs”, yelling “take off me, I’ll give the sausage! “The hero instantly turned into an object ridicule. To save Hopkins, a special Committee.
While the committee members were thinking how to save the captive of the Tower, with planes dumped him food, sleeping bags, ropes and other “humanitarian aid.” Most of it flew past the target, and that that got to the top, after the fall ended up in absolutely unsuitable condition.
Summoned professional climbers Field and Gorell after Several 3-hour assaults admitted that the rock was too tough for them. I had to urgently look for Jack Durrance. Delivered from Dortmund Durrance led a group of rescuers and repeated his ascent 1938 year. Exhausted Hopkins (he spent almost 7 on the Tower days) safely lowered down in a special cradle.
Legends of the Devil’s Tower
Of course, it would be strange if the Devil’s Tower had not grown legends. There is a version that the rock is an artificial structure, built by: representatives of the disappeared civilization / aliens / aliens from a parallel world – choose what you like. In favor of these theories and observables glows over the Tower, and lightning constantly beating at its top, and numerous UFOs observed in its vicinity. Oil to the fire added S. Spielberg with his film “Close Encounters Third degree “, in the final scene of which an alien spaceship uses a cliff top as a landing pad.
Photo from open sources
However, geologists, disagreeing about the nature of processes, which caused the appearance of rock, the one is that the Tower is a creation exclusively mother nature, as if we did not want the opposite. However, this does not mean that the Devil’s Tower will not present us any surprises in the near future.
Aircraft
