Devils Tower was the first national monument designated by a United States president.
President Theodore Roosevelt proclaimed Devils Tower National Monument on September 24, 1906, under the newly enacted Antiquities Act. The dramatic rock formation rises above northeastern Wyoming and is widely recognized for its columnar basalt structure.
The Antiquities Act authorized presidents to protect objects of historic or scientific interest on federal lands. Roosevelt used that authority just months after Congress passed the law, establishing a category that later protected archaeological sites, landscapes, and natural features across the country.
Devils Tower is often confused with Yellowstone, which became the first national park in 1872. It is also distinct from Mount Rushmore, a later national memorial in South Dakota, and Grand Canyon National Park, which received national-park status in 1919.