Devil’s Tower, Bear Lodge, Empire, and the Rise of American Climbing with Michael Reidy

Established in 1906 as the US’s first National Monument, Devil’s Tower is a geological wonder. Its human history can tell a lot about the human fascination with seemingly mystical landscapes, the initial contemplation of deep time, and modern ideas of wilderness. It also reveals a more hidden history of nationalism, empire, and Indigenous dispossession of land. Michael Reidy will go through the surprising history of climbing at Devil’s Tower National Monument, from its initial first ascent through its more recent explosion in popularity. This lecture will reveal how this remarkable monument represents the history of the rise of American climbing more broadly, but also how Devil’s Tower can stand in for many other contested vertical geographies in the West, where more than just climbers are on the rise.
In the Hager Auditorium