Many of the world's religions carry the story of a great flood. In the Bible it was Noah and his ark who came to rest on Mt. Ararat. For the religious Mandan Indians the only man saved from a similar global flood brought his great canoe to rest on top of Bear Butte in the Black Hills.

    Other tribes have contributed to Bear Butte's status as a religious shrine. For the Cheyenne Indians the butte is a kind of American Mecca, and annual pilgrimages are still made to the mountain. Over the centuries Bear Butte has served as watchtower and as a landmark. Its vegetation was several times set on fire, either to serve as a beacon or to dislodge enemies.

    In 1857, Bear Butte was the site of the largest known gathering of Sioux Indians. This Great Council established the policy of holding the Black Hills against white encroachment.

    The most peculiar aspect of the butte is the stones found in the forks of trees. These stones were placed there by Indians as a form of worship or good luck, or possibly as a system of communication. Frontier author Pete Rosen wrote about the ingrown stones in 1883 and estimated that they had been placed there 40 years prior. By hiking to Bear Butte's summit, one can still see the unusual stones in the trees.

    For the white man Bear Butte was a junction for three historic trails, and two-thirds of the miners swarming to the Hills passed by the butte.

    For a time the city of Sturgis conducted caravans of tourists to the summit astride sturdy little burros. Geologist tell us that Bear Butte was formed by volcanic pressures but that eruptions similar to Mt. Saint Helens are not possible.

10/01/03