Devils Tower Richard Dodge. In 1875, he commanded the military escort for a scientific expedition into the Black Hills. Keeping a journal during this expedition, Dodge wrote that the Indians call this place 'bad god's tower,' a name adopted with proper modification... And so the label Devil's Tower was created.

The name Devils Tower originated from a 1875 translation error during an expedition led by Colonel Richard Irving Dodge. His geologist, Henry Newton, was told by local Indigenous guides that the site was known as "Bad God's Tower" (likely a misinterpretation of the Lakota name Mato Tipila, which means Bear Lodge). Dodge modified the phrase to "Devil's Tower," and the label stuck in official government records. For 2026 visitors, it is important to recognize that this name remains a point of significant controversy; over 20 Plains Indian tribes consider the site sacred and have long advocated for a return to the name "Bear Lodge." Many traditional stories describe the tower’s unique vertical fluting as the claw marks of a giant bear that was attempting to reach children who had climbed the rock for safety. While the "Devil" name remains on the map, modern National Park Service signage and education centers now place equal emphasis on the Indigenous heritage and the original "Bear Lodge" nomenclature.