Sutter Buttes
The Smallest Mountain Range in the World
Geology
The Sutter Buttes rise about 2000 feet out of the flat Sacramento Valley. The buttes that exist today are the remnants of a volcano that has been dormant for about 1.4 million years. The predominant rocky material is rhyolite and andesite.
Ecosystem
An abundance can be found roaming the hills. We have seen foxes, coyotes, deer, big horn sheep, red tailed hawks, bald eagles, rabbits, skunks, wild boar, frogs and even a porcupine!
Indigenous History
The Maidu Indians referred to the Buttes as “Histum Yani”, which translates to Middle Mountain. They would use the mountain as a refuge from seasonal floods which would inundate the Sacramento Valley during many winters.