17 The First National Monument

Devils Tower, the first national monument in America, could almost be a mistaken monument in America.

Devils Tower, the core of an ancient volcano, was the first national monument in America.

Rising more than 1,000 feet in the middle of the gently rolling plains of Wyoming, this location, from the past, when a massive molten rock piece of the earth's core forced its way to the surface, striking and cracking into long columns. Born in fire and fury, the outer layers of the volcano were worn away until the hard core stood completely exposed.

Small wonder that an Indian legend described Devils Tower as being formed by supernatural powers. The legend says that when seven girls were attacked by bears, they took refuge on top of a small rock and appealed to the Rock God for help. The girls were then caused the rock to grow and to lift the girls far above the ground, while its sides were scored by the claws of the angry bears. Even today, says the legend, the girls can be seen above the towering rock as seven shining stars in the night sky.

17 第一座国家纪念碑

魔鬼塔是美国的第一座国家纪念碑，它几乎像是一个“误设”的纪念碑。

魔鬼塔是一座古代火山的核心，也是美国的第一座国家纪念碑。

它矗立在怀俄明州平缓起伏的平原中央，高度超过1000英尺。在过去，地核的一块巨大熔融岩石冲破地表，碎裂成长柱形，形成了这个地点。这座火山诞生于火焰与暴怒之中，其外层被侵蚀殆尽，直到坚硬的核心完全暴露出来。

难怪印第安传说称魔鬼塔是由超自然力量形成的。传说中，七个女孩遭到熊的袭击，她们躲在一块小石头顶上，向岩石之神求助。岩石之神让石头不断长高，把女孩们抬到远离地面的高处，而愤怒的熊用爪子抓挠岩石的侧面。传说称，即使在今天，人们还能在这座高耸的岩石上方看到这七个女孩，她们是夜空中的七颗闪亮星星。