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autoposting_system t1_j0c7g19 wrote

Man, people in the 1800s loved calling stuff "The devil's ______". If you hike in nature a lot you run into this kind of crap all the time.

There's a devil's millhopper in Florida. It's just a big sinkhole. Stairway, waterfall: fill in the blank.

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snash222 t1_j0ch6p4 wrote

Devil’s Marbleyard in Virginia. Big mountain of boulders to scramble up.

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i5oL8 t1_j0clf7g wrote

The Devils Backbone in San Marcos TX

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snash222 t1_j0cp6vb wrote

Devils Backbone Brewery in Lexington VA

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drowsytonks t1_j0d076v wrote

Devils backbone landmark in Clifton Forge, Va

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Leather-Department71 t1_j0d0fdp wrote

wtf is going on in VA💀

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BXBXFVTT t1_j0gddta wrote

Don’t forget little devils stairs in va!

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brown_burrito t1_j0d85mj wrote

Devil’s Pool in Victoria Falls on the Zambian side.

When I was there, it was raining too hard and they closed it off because there was a significant chance (than usual) that you’d fall off into the falls.

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Wanderer-on-the-Edge t1_j0d9qq8 wrote

Devils bathtub in Hocking hills ohio

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theantivirus t1_j0d557e wrote

Devil's Den, Winslow, AR

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Uruz2012gotdeleted t1_j0ehura wrote

While you're in the neighborhood make sure to visit Gloryhole too. Yes, that's a natural feature you can hike to in a state park in Arkansas. No, you can't put your dick in it.

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mafia_j t1_j0detjg wrote

It’s really more canyon lake than San Marcos.

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i5oL8 t1_j0df15g wrote

Right! I was waiting on a correction.

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Berryfly04 OP t1_j0dt6yx wrote

Might have to check this out. Is the hike worth the view?

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snash222 t1_j0f080e wrote

Yes, it is like 45 minutes of a hike in the woods, then you hit the boulders. It is a lot of work getting up, you don’t need gear or anything, just sneakers and water and sunscreen.

I have never made it to the very top. But maybe 3/4 way up. Not a magnificent view like Peaks of Otter, Mcaffee’s Knob and Dragons Tooth, but beautiful and worth it.

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dankmeeeem t1_j0cqr44 wrote

Sadly the "Devil's ____" names usually come from settlers who would conflate native tribal rituals or sacred sites with devil worship.

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wclancy09 t1_j0dz84d wrote

While I don't doubt there is some element of this going on, I would point out that there is a "Devil's Cauldron" in Lydford Gorge, Devon, UK - one that to anybody familiar with the area, the above image could be very reminiscent of.

Now, that doesn't detract from your later comment, and that there absolutely should be an effort to reinstate/formally adopt the native names where they existed in the US...but it may be an explanation as to where some of those places may have got names that aren't rooted in colonialist bigotry.

In some cases it could be as simple as the people finding these places (particularly in the eastern US/older states) were reminded of something from 'home' and named it as such (and that pattern would hold as you expand west, with the next example being named after it's eastern US counterpart). It's why you have so many towns and cities sharing names with European (and especially English) towns and cities too.

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whatimjustsaying t1_j0h9j2s wrote

It's very common in Ireland too. In Celtic/Pictish legend, they often attributed strange geologies to battles between gods, or heroes. For example, the giants causeway in Northern Ireland. There is also a mountain somewhere around Louth where Cu Chulainn took the top off a mountain fighting another warrior with a sling.

In later years, Christian folklore replaced the pagans with Saints and the devil. There is a mountain in the midlands somewhere with a big dip in the middle if two peaks, and it's named after st. Patrick, because the devil there tried to jump on him and kill him, but he missed and took out the mountain instead.

So I would agree with your sentiment that settlers named them like they would places back home - but through the lens that abnormal natural features are made by devils when they battle saints/god/Jesus.

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Unhelpful_Kitsune t1_j0f6yye wrote

You got a source for that claim? I've heard this argument for Christianity/ Paganism but never settlers.

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Boomstick86 t1_j0eebtl wrote

The Devil's Punchbowl in Otter Rock, OR.

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BatmanNinja4 t1_j0fuidh wrote

There's also a Devil's Punchbowl in Hamilton Ontario!!

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a_filing_cabinet t1_j0epp55 wrote

Devil's Kettle on the Brule River is a sinkhole that swallows half the river and the water just disappears. For the longest time it was a huge mystery where the water went, as there was no obvious outlet. Speculation ranged from cave networks to underground aquifers we're abundant, until in 2017 it was proven that the water flow above the falls was equal to the flow going into Lake Superior.

Now the only question is where the water rejoins the rest of the river.

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dla3253 t1_j0dwk4u wrote

"There's a geographical feature that's something other than flat plains or rolling hills.... must be The Devil's (TM) doings!"

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methodin t1_j0ewhkn wrote

Devil's toilet - whichever one I use according to my wife

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YukonCornelius69 t1_j0d1ik6 wrote

I’ve hiked at like 5 devils gardens I feel like

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autoposting_system t1_j0d33o4 wrote

You know what's fun is the "Garden of the Gods". There's a Garden of the Gods in Colorado, and a different one in I think Kansas or someplace, and there's probably several others.

The one in Colorado is unbelievably amazing and fantastic

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kellysmistake t1_j0e9sxo wrote

Garden of the Gods is in Southern IL. It is a state supervised part of the Shawnee National Forest. Both places, CO and IL are really cool mountains and canyon areas but very different.

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autoposting_system t1_j0eamlo wrote

Yeah I'm pretty sure that's the one I'm thinking of. I kind of passed through that area of the country and went to one there, and then shortly thereafter I went to the one in Colorado.

Very, very different places. That one was nice too though

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sholbyy t1_j0e0jpq wrote

Devils Icebox, Nelson Ledges, Ohio

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design_ag t1_j0e3xfd wrote

Devil’s Slide, UT • Devil’s Gate, WY

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gamblindan t1_j0edy0t wrote

There's also the Ginnie Springs system in Florida that has individual spring heads named Devil's Ear, Devil's Eye, and Devil Springs

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Impossible_Use5070 t1_j0eco91 wrote

Also a devils elbow in Florida

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destinationlalaland t1_j0ez1nf wrote

The “angel’s piss-jug” just doesn’t lend the same gravitas to the location.

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bellastinyears t1_j0f3khj wrote

Also Devils Den, Devils eye, Devils Ear in FL. Freshwater spring dive sites

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surfacing_husky t1_j0fi8bl wrote

We have the "devil's elbow" here, it's just part of our lake lol

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WorldofWartCraft t1_j0gu4j3 wrote

We also have an off road trail called the devil's butthole in Florida

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autoposting_system t1_j0gxcud wrote

That sounds like a colloquialism. If it is, I hope the word sticks.

Edit: by the way, there is definitely a Sugar Tit, SC. Some of the people there are trying very hard to change the name, but it is really sticking.

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snimdakcuf t1_j0d7kva wrote

People were afraid of water back then. They rarely bathed. So yeah, the devils in that water.

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