魔鬼塔国家纪念碑, 怀俄明州，美国 Devils Tower National Monument, Wyoming (© Laura Hedien/Getty Images)

孤独的巨人 The lonely giant

怀俄明州魔鬼塔国家纪念碑

在怀俄明州东北部辽阔的草原上，矗立着魔鬼塔——一座从开阔平原拔地而起的岩石地貌。这座山丘原名熊屋，在1875年理查德·欧文·道奇上校率领的探险队中获得现名，据推测可能源于一名翻译将原住民的表述误译为“恶神之塔”。其官方名称省略的撇号符合标准地理命名惯例——因此路标均标注为“魔鬼塔”。1906年，西奥多·罗斯福总统将其指定为美国首个国家纪念碑，这一里程碑事件的周年纪念日正值今日。

当你驶向魔鬼塔时，每道弯道都揭开新的景致——无论你从高速公路而来，沿着蜿蜒小路驶向游客中心，还是徒步踏上塔径。这片土地的意义远不止于其壮丽的地质景观。数百年间，来自大平原与黑丘地区的众多部落——包括阿拉帕霍族、乌鸦族和夏延族——都与这片土地有着深厚渊源。每个部落都传承着关于魔鬼塔起源的口述传说。尽管诸多传说存在共通主题，但细节却在每个族群中独具特色。魔鬼塔始终承载着地质演变、文化传承以及人类与自然世界间永恒变迁关系的鲜活史诗。

Devils Tower National Monument, Wyoming

Somewhere in the wide prairies of northeastern Wyoming stands Devils Tower, a stone formation that rises from the open plains. Once called Bear Lodge, the butte gained its current name during an 1875 expedition led by Colonel Richard Irving Dodge, possibly after an interpreter mistranslated a Native phrase as 'Bad God's Tower.' The missing apostrophe in its official title follows standard geographic naming conventions—hence, the signs read 'Devils Tower.' In 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt proclaimed it the nation's first national monument; a milestone whose anniversary falls today.

As you approach Devils Tower, every curve in the road unveils a new view—whether you're arriving from the highway, winding toward the visitor center, or following the Tower Trail on foot. The site's significance stretches far deeper than its dramatic geology. For centuries, numerous tribes from the Great Plains and Black Hills, including the Arapaho, Crow, and Cheyenne, have been linked to this place. Each tribe preserves oral traditions about the Tower's creation. While many of these accounts share recurring themes, the details remain unique to every community. Devils Tower continues to embody a living chronicle of geology, heritage, and the ever-changing relationship between humans and the natural world.

标签: 美国, 怀俄明