Sutter Buttes
Encyclopedia
The Sutter Buttes are a small circular complex of eroded volcanic lava dome
s which rise as butte
s above the flat plains of the Central Valley of California in the United States
. The highest peak, South Butte, reaches about 2130 feet (649.2 m) above sea level
. The Buttes are located just outside of Yuba City, California
in the Sacramento Valley
, the northern part of the Central Valley. They are named for John Sutter
, who received a large land grant from the Mexican
government. The Sutter Buttes are sometimes referred to as the world's smallest mountain range.
in the world.
The Sutter Buttes contain many flora
and fauna
species
. Wildflower
s are represented by numerous taxa
; included in these many wildflower
s is the Yellow Mariposa Lily, Calochortus luteus
.
era by a volcano
. The eruptions continued until about 1.4 million years ago. Some geological references suggested that it represents the southernmost of the Cascade Volcanoes
, but there are significant differences in age and form compared to the other volcanoes in that range. Others suggest that its age places it with the volcanic elements of the California Coast Ranges and its composition is closer to that range but does have significant differences. The volcano is believed to have erupted along a now inactive fault line. The questions about their origin and connection to other regional volcanic activity are the subject of ongoing research.
Maidu
and Wintun
peoples. The Maidu
(or Nisenan
) lived to the east of the Buttes and the Wintun
(Patwin
) to the mountain's west. No tribe claimed ownership of the Buttes and there are only season encampments in the mountain. Native Americans did visit the mountain regularly to gather acorn
s and other food
s or to hunt game
. The Buttes were also a center of regional Native American religion. According to anthropologist Alfred Kroeber, the Patwin village where the city of Colusa
now stands was the “hotbed” where the Kuksu Cult was established. This religion spread through much of northern California. Ceremonies were performed in earthen dance lodges where spirit impersonators would re-enact ancient mythological events. The Maidu, who lived in their shadow for thousands of years, called them Esto Yamani, which means "the Middle Mountain", the Wintun called the Sutter Buttes Onolai.
, sheep ranch
ers and farmers, but a few naturalists
and local organizations, including the Middle Mountain Foundation and the Yuba Historical Society, lead hikes through some areas. Since 1929, the State of California had considered purchasing the land for protection and a State Park.
In 1963, a missile silo complex containing three separate Titan I
ICBM missiles was constructed near the base of the Buttes. The site was only active from 1963 to 1965, and it was decommissioned and mostly dismantled in 1965. The site has been host to many vandals and trespassers since the early 1980s to the present.
39°16′32"N 121°49′45"W
In 2003, the California Department of Parks and Recreation purchased 1,784.5 acres (7.2 km²) in Peace Valley on the north side of the Sutter Buttes with the intent to develop it as a State Park. The land did not have a public access. The land is still without public access going into 2011.
The only way into the property is an old dirt farm easement 20 feet wide running about two miles from North Butte Road. The route crosses private lands and is not suitable for the public to enter. In 2005 the Department tried to buy an adjacent original 1,123 acre Buttes ranch founded in the 1860s by John Henry Myers (1829–1908) who is buried in the close by Live Oak Cemetery. This property would have added park land and more importantly yielded the needed pathway for an access road for the public. That effort went on for some time pitting the Myers descendents against one another. In 2006 those who wanted to keep the land in the family ultimately bought the other half of the land from the family members who wanted to sell, thereby excluding State Parks from further ownership.
This land will continue to sit unused for the foreseeable future.
Power lines connecting to Path 15 and Path 66 run on the eastern edge of the Sutter Buttes.
Lava dome
|250px|thumb|right|Image of the [[rhyolitic]] lava dome of [[Chaitén Volcano]] during its 2008–2009 eruption.In volcanology, a lava dome is a roughly circular mound-shaped protrusion resulting from the slow extrusion of viscous lava from a volcano...
s which rise as butte
Butte
A butte is a conspicuous isolated hill with steep, often vertical sides and a small, relatively flat top; it is smaller than mesas, plateaus, and table landform tables. In some regions, such as the north central and northwestern United States, the word is used for any hill...
s above the flat plains of the Central Valley of California in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The highest peak, South Butte, reaches about 2130 feet (649.2 m) above sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
. The Buttes are located just outside of Yuba City, California
Yuba City, California
Yuba City is a Northern California city, founded in 1849. It is the county seat of Sutter County, California, United States. The population was 64,925 at the 2010 census....
in the Sacramento Valley
Sacramento Valley
The Sacramento Valley is the portion of the California Central Valley that lies to the north of the San Joaquin-Sacramento Delta in the U.S. state of California. It encompasses all or parts of ten counties.-Geography:...
, the northern part of the Central Valley. They are named for John Sutter
John Sutter
Johann Augus Sutter was a Swiss pioneer of California known for his association with the California Gold Rush by the discovery of gold by James W. Marshall and the mill making team at Sutter's Mill, and for establishing Sutter's Fort in the area that would eventually become Sacramento, the...
, who received a large land grant from the Mexican
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
government. The Sutter Buttes are sometimes referred to as the world's smallest mountain range.
Natural history
The mountains are about 10 miles (16 km) from north to south and east to west, and are the smallest mountain rangeMountain range
A mountain range is a single, large mass consisting of a succession of mountains or narrowly spaced mountain ridges, with or without peaks, closely related in position, direction, formation, and age; a component part of a mountain system or of a mountain chain...
in the world.
The Sutter Buttes contain many flora
Flora
Flora is the plant life occurring in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring or indigenous—native plant life. The corresponding term for animals is fauna.-Etymology:...
and fauna
Fauna
Fauna or faunæ is all of the animal life of any particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is flora.Zoologists and paleontologists use fauna to refer to a typical collection of animals found in a specific time or place, e.g. the "Sonoran Desert fauna" or the "Burgess shale fauna"...
species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
. Wildflower
Wildflower
A wildflower is a flower that grows wild, meaning it was not intentionally seeded or planted. Yet "wildflower" meadows of a few mixed species are sold in seed packets. The term "wildflower" has been made vague by commercial seedsmen who are interested in selling more flowers or seeds more...
s are represented by numerous taxa
Taxon
|thumb|270px|[[African elephants]] form a widely-accepted taxon, the [[genus]] LoxodontaA taxon is a group of organisms, which a taxonomist adjudges to be a unit. Usually a taxon is given a name and a rank, although neither is a requirement...
; included in these many wildflower
Wildflower
A wildflower is a flower that grows wild, meaning it was not intentionally seeded or planted. Yet "wildflower" meadows of a few mixed species are sold in seed packets. The term "wildflower" has been made vague by commercial seedsmen who are interested in selling more flowers or seeds more...
s is the Yellow Mariposa Lily, Calochortus luteus
Calochortus luteus
Calochortus luteus, or Yellow mariposa lily, is a mariposa lily endemic to California.-Description:The primarily a bright deep yellow flower is 3-5cm across and perianth Bulb-shaped, lined red-brown inside, often also with central red-brown blotch and sparse hair inside.-Distribution:This species...
.
Geology
The Sutter Buttes were formed about 1.6 million years ago in the early PleistocenePleistocene
The Pleistocene is the epoch from 2,588,000 to 11,700 years BP that spans the world's recent period of repeated glaciations. The name pleistocene is derived from the Greek and ....
era by a volcano
Volcano
2. Bedrock3. Conduit 4. Base5. Sill6. Dike7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano10. Throat11. Parasitic cone12. Lava flow13. Vent14. Crater15...
. The eruptions continued until about 1.4 million years ago. Some geological references suggested that it represents the southernmost of the Cascade Volcanoes
Cascade Volcanoes
The Cascade Volcanoes are a number of volcanoes in a volcanic arc in western North America, extending from southwestern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California, a distance of well over 700 mi ...
, but there are significant differences in age and form compared to the other volcanoes in that range. Others suggest that its age places it with the volcanic elements of the California Coast Ranges and its composition is closer to that range but does have significant differences. The volcano is believed to have erupted along a now inactive fault line. The questions about their origin and connection to other regional volcanic activity are the subject of ongoing research.
Native American lore
The Sutter Buttes figure prominently in the creation stories and other traditions of the indigenousIndigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
Maidu
Maidu
The Maidu are a group of Native Americans who live in Northern California. They reside in the central Sierra Nevada, in the drainage area of the Feather and American Rivers...
and Wintun
Wintun
Wintun is the name generally given to a group of related Native American tribes who live in Northern California, including the Wintu , Nomlaki , and Patwin tribes. Their range is from approximately present-day Lake Shasta to San Francisco Bay, along the western side of the Sacramento River to the...
peoples. The Maidu
Maidu
The Maidu are a group of Native Americans who live in Northern California. They reside in the central Sierra Nevada, in the drainage area of the Feather and American Rivers...
(or Nisenan
Nisenan
The Nisenan, also known as the Southern Maidu and Valley Maidu, are one of many native groups of the Central Valley. The name Nisenan, derives from the ablative plural pronoun nisena·n, "from among us"...
) lived to the east of the Buttes and the Wintun
Wintun
Wintun is the name generally given to a group of related Native American tribes who live in Northern California, including the Wintu , Nomlaki , and Patwin tribes. Their range is from approximately present-day Lake Shasta to San Francisco Bay, along the western side of the Sacramento River to the...
(Patwin
Patwin
The Patwin are a Wintun people native to the area of Northern California. The Patwin were a southern branch of the Wintun group and native inhabitants of California from 1,000 up to 4,000 years....
) to the mountain's west. No tribe claimed ownership of the Buttes and there are only season encampments in the mountain. Native Americans did visit the mountain regularly to gather acorn
Acorn
The acorn, or oak nut, is the nut of the oaks and their close relatives . It usually contains a single seed , enclosed in a tough, leathery shell, and borne in a cup-shaped cupule. Acorns vary from 1–6 cm long and 0.8–4 cm broad...
s and other food
Food
Food is any substance consumed to provide nutritional support for the body. It is usually of plant or animal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals...
s or to hunt game
Game (food)
Game is any animal hunted for food or not normally domesticated. Game animals are also hunted for sport.The type and range of animals hunted for food varies in different parts of the world. This will be influenced by climate, animal diversity, local taste and locally accepted view about what can or...
. The Buttes were also a center of regional Native American religion. According to anthropologist Alfred Kroeber, the Patwin village where the city of Colusa
Colusa, California
Colusa is the county seat of Colusa County, California. The population was 5,971 at the 2010 census, up from 5,402 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
now stands was the “hotbed” where the Kuksu Cult was established. This religion spread through much of northern California. Ceremonies were performed in earthen dance lodges where spirit impersonators would re-enact ancient mythological events. The Maidu, who lived in their shadow for thousands of years, called them Esto Yamani, which means "the Middle Mountain", the Wintun called the Sutter Buttes Onolai.
Recent history and access
Public access to the Sutter Buttes is limited. All of the land is privately held by cattleCattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
, sheep ranch
Ranch
A ranch is an area of landscape, including various structures, given primarily to the practice of ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle or sheep for meat or wool. The word most often applies to livestock-raising operations in the western United States and Canada, though...
ers and farmers, but a few naturalists
Natural history
Natural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...
and local organizations, including the Middle Mountain Foundation and the Yuba Historical Society, lead hikes through some areas. Since 1929, the State of California had considered purchasing the land for protection and a State Park.
In 1963, a missile silo complex containing three separate Titan I
Titan I
The Martin Marietta SM-68A/HGM-25A Titan I was the United States' first multistage ICBM . Incorporating the latest design technology when designed and manufactured, the Titan I provided an additional nuclear deterrent to complement the U.S. Air Force's SM-65 Atlas missile...
ICBM missiles was constructed near the base of the Buttes. The site was only active from 1963 to 1965, and it was decommissioned and mostly dismantled in 1965. The site has been host to many vandals and trespassers since the early 1980s to the present.
39°16′32"N 121°49′45"W
In 2003, the California Department of Parks and Recreation purchased 1,784.5 acres (7.2 km²) in Peace Valley on the north side of the Sutter Buttes with the intent to develop it as a State Park. The land did not have a public access. The land is still without public access going into 2011.
The only way into the property is an old dirt farm easement 20 feet wide running about two miles from North Butte Road. The route crosses private lands and is not suitable for the public to enter. In 2005 the Department tried to buy an adjacent original 1,123 acre Buttes ranch founded in the 1860s by John Henry Myers (1829–1908) who is buried in the close by Live Oak Cemetery. This property would have added park land and more importantly yielded the needed pathway for an access road for the public. That effort went on for some time pitting the Myers descendents against one another. In 2006 those who wanted to keep the land in the family ultimately bought the other half of the land from the family members who wanted to sell, thereby excluding State Parks from further ownership.
This land will continue to sit unused for the foreseeable future.
Power lines connecting to Path 15 and Path 66 run on the eastern edge of the Sutter Buttes.
See also
- Sutter County, CaliforniaSutter County, CaliforniaSutter County is a county located along the Sacramento River in the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California, north of state capital Sacramento. Sutter County is part of the Greater Sacramento CSA....
- List of highest points in California by county