Old Settlers' Picnic

Locals gather every year for the Old Settlers' Picnic at the Tower.

NPS photo

News Release Date: June 14, 2016

Contact: Nancy Stimson, 307.467.5283

Devils Tower, WY –

Centennial celebrations are sweeping the nation's parks this year! Devils Tower National Monument is hosting a series of celebrations such as the Old Settlers' Picnic on Sunday, June 26! The festivities will begin at 12:30 pm in the picnic area near the campground. There will be free entrance into the monument for those attending the event.

Each year the Old Settlers' Picnic honors distinguished members of the community. This year's honorees are Dorothy Wood, Eric and Jeannie Huseby, J.W. and Thea Nuckolls and Reynard Mills. Enjoy the poetry of Chuck Larsen and the music of Cort Ingalls and Todd Kahler. Bring a picnic lunch, beverage and a lawn chair, and enjoy a good, old-fashioned visit with family and friends. There will be cake and ice cream, games for the children, and history displays from the Crook County Museum.

Pioneer gatherings which became known as the Old Settlers' Picnic started at Devils Tower in the 1890s. The families who settled the communities in the area are known as the Old Settlers. They drove cattle on the trails and fought the bitter cold winters and the summer heat. The Old Settler's Picnic became such a success that in 1934 over 4,000 people attended the picnic. Today, neighbors far and near the Tower take the opportunity to say "thank you" to their founders during the Old Settlers' Picnic.

Sponsors include the Devils Tower Natural History Association, Crook County Promotion Board, Neiman Sawmill, inc., RT Communications, Devils Tower KOA Campground, Devils Tower Trading Post, Devils Tower View Restaurant and Campground and Devils Tower National Monument. There will be an astronomy evening program in the amphitheater at 8:30 pm.

About the National Park Service: More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 411 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov.