Reach for the Top

The first climbers on record to reach the summit of Devils Tower, Willard Ripley and William Rogers, undertook the climb during a bleak year on the ranch when money was scarce. Rogers conceived the idea, and as he gathered materials, Ripley built a ladder that snaked all the way to the summit by 1893. Rogers then promoted the climb as a Fourth of July spectacle, charging admission to revelers who came to dance and picnic while he, dressed as Uncle Sam, climbed the ladder with the American flag whipping in the wind. Over time, many others followed this historic ascent. On July 4, 1895, Linnie Rogers became the first woman on record to climb Devils Tower, scaling the ladder built by her husband, William Rogers.

Wyoming · United States