The bundle bounced off, fell fifty feet down from Hopkins and snagged on bushes on the tower’s sides. The proceeds were to fund general hospital construction in the city.Īlthough Hopkins had planned-on paper-his descent off of the tower, the situation quickly became rocky when South Dakota pilot Joe Quinn returned an hour after the jump to deliver ropes and climbing equipment to Hopkins. The Rapid City Chamber of Commerce also sponsored an airshow, with the stunt of parachuting onto Devils Tower as the “perfect” way to publicize the show, writes Gunderson. records, including the most parachute jumps (2,347) and jumping from the greatest height (26,400 feet). He wanted to prove that a parachutist could land on a small target.Īt the time, Hopkins held several U.S. To gain publicity for the event, Hopkins decided a single jump would suffice, says the National Park Service. He wanted to set the world record for the number of parachute jumps in a day–– 30 at the time-and chose Rapid City, S.D., as the site to do so. National Park Service photo.Īccording to Mary Alice Gunderson’s 1988 book, Devils Tower: Stories in Stone, Hopkins planned the parachute stunt to win a $50 bet. But most people just focused on the fact that he couldn't get down from Devils Tower once he’d landed on top. George Hopkins wanted to show the world what could be done with a parachute. A 29-year-old daredevil, George Hopkins, parachuted onto Devils Tower––the nation’s first national monument––and remained there for six days of increasing press and radio pressure while officials figured out what to do. In October 1941, when Hitler ruled nearly all of Europe and Pearl Harbor was still two months away, heads turned from a raging World War to Wyoming.
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