Devil's Backbone is a rock formation

Rock formation

This is a list of rock formations that include isolated, scenic, or spectacular surface rock outcrops. These formations are usually the result of weathering and erosion sculpting the existing rock...

 and peninsula formed by the flow of Fourteen Mile Creek

Fourteen Mile Creek

Fourteen Mile Creek, shown as Fourteenmile Creek on federal maps, is a creek in Clark County, Indiana, close to Charlestown. It is so named because its mouth on the Ohio River is upstream from the Falls of the Ohio; similar to how Eighteen Mile Island, Twelve Mile Island, and Six Mile Island got...

 into the Ohio River

Ohio River

The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...

, and is currently situated in Charlestown State Park

Charlestown State Park

Charlestown State Park is an Indiana state park on in Clark County, Indiana, in the United States. The park is on the banks of the Ohio River, east of Charlestown. It was once part of the Indiana Army Ammunition Plant , and was donated in separate parcels to the Indiana state government. In...

 near Charlestown, Indiana

Charlestown, Indiana

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 5,993 people, 2,341 households, and 1,615 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,570.0 people per square mile . There were 2,489 housing units at an average density of 1,067.4 per square mile...

. According to local legend, on this bedrock ridge once stood a stone fortress that was built by Welsh

Wales

Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...

 explorers led by Prince Madoc

Madoc

Madoc or Madog ab Owain Gwynedd was, according to folklore, a Welsh prince who sailed to America in 1170, over three hundred years before Christopher Columbus's voyage in 1492. According to the story, he was a son of Owain Gwynedd who took to the sea to flee internecine violence at home...

 sometime in the 12th century.

The Backbone is believed to have been formed by the processes of glaciation where a combination of ice sheet advances, meltwater flows and a diversion of the Ohio River left an isolated bedrock ridge remaining between two valleys.

Rose Island

Rose Island (amusement park)

Rose Island was a popular amusement park near Charlestown, Indiana, situated on a peninsula created by Fourteen Mile Creek emptying into the Ohio River. It was a recreational area known as Fern Grove in the 1880s, mostly used as a church camp. It was so named due to the many ferns that grew there...

, an amusement park

Amusement park

thumb|Cinderella Castle in [[Magic Kingdom]], [[Disney World]]Amusement and theme parks are terms for a group of entertainment attractions and rides and other events in a location for the enjoyment of large numbers of people...

 popular during the 1920s that was destroyed by the 1937 Flood

Ohio River flood of 1937

The Ohio River flood of 1937 took place in late January and February 1937. With damage stretching from Pittsburgh to Cairo, Illinois, one million persons were left homeless, with 385 dead and property losses reaching $500 million...

, stood on this rugged peninsula.

Charlestown State Park hiking trails do not provide access to the Backbone.

There is another location by the same name near Fort Ritner, Indiana

Fort Ritner, Indiana

Fort Ritner is an unincorporated town in Guthrie Township, Lawrence County, Indiana.-History:The town of fort ritner was named in honor of Micheal Ritner, a foreman in the construction of a tunnel and on the old ohio and mississippi railroad nearby....

, east of Bedford

Bedford, Indiana

As of the census of 2000, there were 13,768 people, 6,054 households, and 3,644 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,157.1 people per square mile . There were 6,618 housing units at an average density of 556.2 per square mile...

.

External links

• Satellite image of Devil's Backbone and Rose Island
• Geology Laboratory Manual, Hanover College — includes a more detailed description of how the Backbone probably was formed.
• Information about Rose Island