What US state is home to the first national monument?

Devils Tower National Monument, the first U.S. national monument, established in 1906 in northeastern Wyoming, near the Belle Fourche River.



The state of Wyoming is home to the first national monument in the United States. Devils Tower National Monument was established on September 24, 1906, by President Theodore Roosevelt. Roosevelt used the newly passed Antiquities Act of 1906, which granted the President the authority to protect "objects of historic or scientific interest" as national monuments without requiring a full act of Congress. Devils Tower is a stunning geological feature—a massive igneous intrusion that stands 867 feet from its base to its summit, characterized by its striking vertical, hexagonal columns. It has long been a sacred site for many Northern Plains Indigenous tribes, including the Lakota, Cheyenne, and Kiowa, who know it by names such as Bear Lodge or Tree Rock. Today, it remains a premier destination for hikers and rock climbers in 2026, serving as a permanent symbol of the American conservation movement that began in the early 20th century to protect the nation's most unique natural and cultural landmarks from industrial exploitation.

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