Alien ‘encounters’ put this strange-looking monument on the tourist map

Krdo · 🇮🇳 public India · May 14, 2026 · 1781 words · By CNN Newssource

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What to know about Alien ‘encounters’ put this strange-looking monument on the tourist map

Alien ‘encounters’ put this strange-looking monument on the tourist map By Marnie Hunter, CNN Devils Tower, Wyoming (CNN) — The buzz started in a hay meadow at the foot of a mysterious-looking geological formation.

Claims checked 21

Techniques found 0

Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center67%

Right33%

3 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Why it matters

Helicopters and trailers arrived in large numbers, famous faces and a distinguished director settled in near grazing cattle, and the cameras started rolling.

Common ground

Fifty years ago, Devils Tower National Monument became a beacon for humans entranced by brushes with aliens in director Steven Spielberg’s “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.” And in turn, the 867-foot monolith protruding from the surrounding Wyoming prairie…

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Follow-up questions

What concrete event or decision sits underneath the headline: Alien ‘encounters’ put this strange-looking monument on the tourist map?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that The tower formed over 50 million years ago?
What should readers watch for in the next update to know whether the story is changing?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://krdo.com/entertainment/cnn-style/2026/05/14/alien-encounters-put-this-st…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 21 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

schedule Pending 11

check_circle Corroborated 3

verified Verified By Reference 3

help Insufficient Evidence 2

report Misleading 1

info Single Source 1

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Claim 1: “The tower formed over 50 million years ago”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was provided for this claim in the search results.

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Claim 2: “Each year, about 5,000 climbers scale the formation”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 3: “The tower is composed of phonolite porphyry, a rare igneous rock”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 4: “actors in Spielberg’s upcoming alien flick “Disclosure Day,” due in theaters June 12”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources, including a Wikipedia entry and a movie site, confirm that 'Disclosure Day' is an upcoming Steven Spielberg film scheduled for release on June 12 (specifically 06.12.26).

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Disclosure Day is an upcoming American science fiction film directed by Steven Spielberg, from a screenplay by David Koepp based on a story by Spielberg.Disclosure Day is scheduled to be released in t…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disclosure_Day

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Official website for Disclosure Day, from director Steven Spielberg. Watch the trailer here. In Theaters 06.12.26.
https://www.disclosuredaymovie.com/

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — A film by Steven Spielberg. Disclosure Day is in theaters 06.12.26.If you found out we weren’t alone, if someone showed you, proved it to you, would that fri...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFe6NRgoXCM

schedule

Claim 5: “the KOA campground... has grown to more than 150 sites.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 6: “We saw a huge increase in visitation after that movie came out — over 76% increase in visitation from about 153,000 to over 270,000 visitors”

CORROBORATED

CNN explicitly quotes ranger Brian Cole stating there was an over 76% increase in visitation from about 153,000 to over 270,000 visitors after the movie.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve is a U.S. national monument and national preserve in the Snake River Plain in central Idaho. It is along US 20 (concurrent with US 93 and US 26), bet…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craters_of_the_Moon_National_M…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Pipestone National Monument is a national monument located in southwestern Minnesota, just north of the city of Pipestone. Lying along U.S. Route 75, Minnesota State Highway 23 and Minnesota State Hi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pipestone_National_Monument

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Wright Brothers National Memorial (originally the Kill Devil Hill Monument), located in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, commemorates Wright Flyer; the first successful, sustained, powered flights in…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wright_Brothers_National_Memor…

+ 3 more evidence sources

report

Claim 7: “The movie was a hit, grossing more than $300 million worldwide.”

MISLEADING

Wikipedia and web search results state the film grossed $288 million worldwide, which is not 'more than $300 million'.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Close Encounters of the Third Kind (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the film score to the 1977 film of the same name, composed and conducted by John Williams, and performed by the Hollywood Stu…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Close_Encounters_of_the_Third_…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — In ufology, a close encounter is an event in which a person witnesses an unidentified flying object (UFO) at relatively close range, where the possibility of mis-identification is presumably greatly r…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Close_encounter

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Close Encounters of the Third Kind is a 1977 American science fiction drama film written and directed by Steven Spielberg, starring Richard Dreyfuss, Melinda Dillon, Teri Garr, Bob Balaban, Cary Guffe…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Close_Encounters_of_the_Third_…

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 8: “Approximately 12 minutes of footage was filmed here in 1976 and then that movie came out the following year in 1977”

CORROBORATED

A CNN article explicitly quotes a ranger stating that approximately 12 minutes of footage was filmed at Devils Tower in 1976 and the movie was released in 1977.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Ark Encounter is a Christian theme park that opened in Williamstown, Kentucky, United States, in 2016. The centerpiece of the park is a large representation of Noah's Ark, based on the Genesis flood n…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ark_Encounter

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Jaws 2 is a 1978 American horror thriller film directed by Jeannot Szwarc and written by Howard Sackler and Carl Gottlieb. It is the sequel to Steven Spielberg's Jaws (1975), and the second installmen…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaws_2

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Shrek the Third, also known as Shrek 3, is a 2007 American animated fantasy comedy film loosely based on the 1990 children's picture book Shrek! by William Steig. Directed by Chris Miller and written…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shrek_the_Third

+ 3 more evidence sources

info

Claim 9: “the paved Tower Trail, which includes a 1.3-mile loop circling the monument’s base”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence for this claim consists of irrelevant search results regarding credit unions in Oregon.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Jun 6, 2023 · They all offer basically the same services, and if you get a home loan through your credit union every last one will turn around and sell it to Wells Fargo because they don't have suffic…
https://www.reddit.com/r/oregon/comments/142lco4/best_credit…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Financial institutions must verify their customers’ identity when opening an account, even online. Confirm in advance all details, including needed documentation, with the financial institution.
https://www.oregon.gov/bankonoregon/pages/participating-fina…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Established in 1981, OCCU has over 300,000 members at 14 branches. Oregon State employees, staff at the University of Oregon, and residents of the counties listed in the ways to join OCCU are eligible…
https://www.factorywarrantylist.com/credit-unions-oregon.htm…

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Claim 10: “a parachutist famously got stranded at the top in 1941”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 11: “The film’s closing scenes, featuring a landing site and the final “encounter,” were filmed in airship hangars in Mobile, Alabama”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 12: “it is the world’s largest example of columnar jointing”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 13: “a Best Western about 9 miles away in Hulett”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 14: “a prairie dog town is home to more than 600 of the engaging rodents... sits on about 40 acres near the Belle Fourche River”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 15: “there are a total of five trails inside the park.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 16: “the tower’s original name translates to “Bear’s Tipi” or “Bear Lodge.””

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was provided for this claim in the search results.

verified

Claim 17: “The film stars Richard Dreyfuss as Roy Neary”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia and multiple web sources explicitly state that Richard Dreyfuss plays the character Roy Neary in 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind'.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Astronaut is a 2019 Canadian drama film written and directed by Shelagh McLeod and starring Richard Dreyfuss. It is McLeod's first feature-length film.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astronaut_(2019_film)

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Richard Dreyfuss is an American actor. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his leading role in The Goodbye Girl (1977), and was Oscar-nominated in the same category for his portrayal of the ti…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_performances_by_Richar…

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 18: “the Driskill family was paid $20,000 for the use of their meadow.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

verified

Claim 19: “It was the very first US national monument, designated by President Theodore Roosevelt back in 1906.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia and New World Encyclopedia both confirm that Devils Tower was the first US national monument, designated by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1906.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Devils Tower National Monument is a national monument in Crook County, Northeast Wyoming.The monument was established as the first national monument by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1906.
https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Devils_Tower_National_Monumen…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Devils Tower National Monument was the first United States national monument, established on September 24, 1906, by President Theodore Roosevelt.[9] The monument's boundary encloses an area of 1,347 a…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devils_Tower

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Devils Tower National Monument. US Locator Blank.svg. Location: Crook County, Wyoming, USA.Devils Tower was the United States' first designated national monument, established on September 24, 1906, by…
https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Devils_Tower_Nati…

schedule

Claim 20: “The less-traveled Joyner Ridge Trail, a 1.5-mile loop”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

verified

Claim 21: “the 867-foot monolith protruding from the surrounding Wyoming prairie”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

While Wikipedia confirms Devils Tower is a laccolithic butte in Wyoming, the provided evidence does not mention its specific height of 867 feet. The search results for 'New Jersey Devils' are irrelevant.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Devils Tower (also known as Matȟó Thípila or Bear Lodge) is a laccolithic butte, composed of igneous rock in the Bear Lodge Ranger District of the Black Hills, near Hulett and Sundance in Crook County…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devils_Tower

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Midwood Books was an American publishing house active from 1957 to 1968. Its strategy focused on the male readers' market, competing with other publishers such as Beacon Books. The covers of many Midw…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midwood_Books

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Bear Lodge Mountains (Lakota: Mato Tipila) are a small obscure mountain range in Crook County, Wyoming. These mountains are protected in the Black Hills National Forest as part of its Bearlodge Di…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bear_Lodge_Mountains

+ 3 more evidence sources

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.