"The Sutter Buttes are remnants of a volcano that was active approximately 1.6 million to 1.4 million years ago during the Pleistocene Epoch, according to a NASA release. They are sometimes called the "smallest mountain range in the world," NASA said."

Although technically not a “mountain range,” this whimsical reference has been made to these valley peaks, the remnants of volcanic activity that has been dormant for over a million years. The Buttes are in a circular configuration with a diameter of 10 miles, covering an area of about 75 square miles.

Before modern levees and dams were built to contain the rivers, winter storms and spring run-off frequently turned the Sacramento Valley into an inland sea, making the Buttes an island refuge for California Indians, settlers and wildlife. The Buttes have had many names over the years. The Maidu Indians called them “Histum Yani” which translates as, “Middle Mountains of the Valley” or “Spirit Mountain,” depending on the source. According to Maidu legend, after death, the spirits of their people rest in the Buttes before the journey to the afterlife.