Lummis, Barrasso Resurrect Bill To Ban Renaming Devils Tower

Continuing a 30-year tradition of Wyoming’s congressional delegation, U.S. Sens. John Barrasso and Cynthia Lummis filed a bill this week seeking to protect the name of the iconic Devils Tower in northeast Wyoming.

 If passed into law, the bill would officially designate that the national monument has to be called Devils Tower.

 "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 said in a Tuesday announcement. "It is important we protect the legacy of this symbolic monument for years to come.”

 Since at least 2005, there has been a movement of certain Native American groups that want to change the name of the geological formation to “Bear Lodge,” as they believe the use of the word “Devils” is offensive. In 2014, more than 20 tribes with close association to the tower filed an application with the U.S. Board on Geographic Names to have its name changed.

 What’s ironic is that by simply filing a bill to protect the name, it prevents the board from renaming the rock structure. Since the bill is under consideration by Congress, the board cannot make its own decision on the issue. As a result, whether the bill becomes law or not, the name cannot be changed.” 

State Sen. Ogden Driskill, R-Devils Tower, runs a KOA campground at the base of Devils Tower and firmly opposes a name change, calling efforts to do so “infuriating.” His family has homesteaded there since the 1870s.

When asked about Barrasso and Lummis bringing back this bill, Driskill said, “We love it.”

Why Change It?

According to research conducted by the National Park Service, the names "Bear Lodge," "Bears Lodge" and "Mato Teepee" were ascribed to the Tower on most maps between 1874 and 1901. 

In 1875, Lieutenant Colonel Richard Dodge traveled through the Devils Tower area and wrote in his journal, "The Indians call this shaft 'The Bad God's Tower,' a name adopted, with proper modifications, by our surveyors."

Dodge had a positive relationship with local tribes, who guided him through the Devils Tower area. In 1882, he wrote a book called “Our Wild Indians: Thirty-Three Years' Personal Experience among the Red Men of the Great West.”

The tower was officially named Devils Tower in 1906.

Although some believe “Bad God” was a poor translation of “Bear Lodge,” Driskill disagrees, pointing out that Dodge said local Native Americans were afraid to go anywhere in the valley below the tower.

“They can call it what they want but I think the story needs to be told on an honest basis,” he said.

Driskill himself said he has a friendly relationship with a number of tribes and respects their history, given an honorary name at one point.

Last June, the federal Reconciliation in Place Names Committee, a subcommittee of the U.S. Board of Geographic Names, recommended that Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland submit a request to President Joe Biden’s administration to change the name to Bear Lodge. 

It’s mostly a moot point now that Biden is about to leave office and he would have to use the Antiquities Act to rename Devils Tower, a sweeping presidential authority that isn’t allowed in Wyoming.

“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,” Lummis said in the announcement. “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.”

Leo Wolfson can be reached at leo@cowboystatedaily.com.