The World's Smallest Mountain Range - The Sutter Buttes

To the locals who live north of Sacramento, the Sutter Buttes are as common as the rice paddies that submerge the surrounding area. However to the first time visitor, they can seem a little peculiar. For one thing, they appear to be an isolated mountain range. Well, they are.

Sitting alone in the middle of the Sacramento Valley in Northern California, this small circular complex of eroded volcanic lava domes rise above the flat plains of the Central Valley. Named for John Sutter, who received a large land grant from the Mexican government, the Buttes are located just outside Yuba City. The mountains are about 10 miles across from north to south and east to west and actually do hold the title of being the world's smallest mountain range.

These buttes were formed over 1.5 million years ago by a now-extinct volcano. 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. The questions about their origin and connection to other regional volcanic activity are the subject of ongoing research.

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. The Maidu, who lived in their shadow for thousands of years, called them Esto Yamani, which means "the Middle Mountain".