Sutter Buttes
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The Sutter Buttes, also known as the Marysville Buttes or Histum Yani (Maidu), is often called the smallest mountain range in the world. The Sutter Buttes are located just outside of Yuba City, California in the Sacramento Valley, itself the northern part of California Central Valley. Formed 1.5 million years ago by a now-extinct volcano, this circular cluster of peaks rises dramatically from the otherwise flat surrounding farmland. The highest peak, South Butte, reaches 2,117 feet (645 m) above sea level. The mountains are about 10 miles across from north to south and east to west. (The not-so-well-known Beale Mountains in the southern part of California are considerably smaller, at about 2.5 miles in total length) The valley formed in the middle of the Buttes is called the Peace Valley.
The Sutter Buttes figure prominently in the creation stories and other traditions of the indigenous Maidu people. Ancient Maidu did not live in the Sutter Buttes, but they did visit the mountains regularly to gather acorns and other foodstuffs or to hunt game.
Public access to the Sutter Buttes is limited. Much of the land is privately held by cattle and sheep ranchers, but a number of naturalists and local organizations lead hikes through most areas. Since 1929, the State of California had considered purchasing the land for protection and public use. In 2003, the California Department of Parks and Recreation purchased a 1,785 acre (7.2 km²) tract in Peace Valley toward the north side of the Buttes with the intent of developing it for public access.
[edit] References
- Allan, Stuart (2005). California Road and Recreation Atlas. Benchmark Maps, p. 64. ISBN 0-929591-80-1.
