The Sierra Buttes: Our Wild and Windy Heritage

Technically, they are not buttes, but peaks or pinnacles. Who cares? We’re all in agreement that the Sierra Buttes, standing fiercely alone at 8,857’, are beautiful, profound even. No doubt they had a similar effect on the indigenous Nisenan, Washoe, Mountain Maidu, and others who came here to gather resources, hunt, fish, trade, perform ceremonies, exchange information, and socialize. Visible from long distances and from so many places, the Sierra Buttes still function as a landmark and destination.

In 1850, the rantings of a delusional gold miner lured thousands to what became Gold Lake. Once they recovered from the overestimated “Gold Lake Stampede,” they prospected the region. A group of Italian miners found gold on the ridge just below the summit of the Sierra Buttes. This ledge was opened in 1853 when ore was crushed with a three-stamp mill and two arrastras.

J. D. Borthwick, Scotch artist and adventurer, wrote about his solo climb made in 1853 or 1854. He walked the mine’s “railway” to the ledge excavation, then climbed long slides of loose, sharp-cornered stones of all sizes. “Every step I took forward, I went about a half-step backward, the stones giving way under my feet, and causing a general commotion from top to bottom.” While facing a rock wall, he “felt the stones beginning to give way under my feet, and seeing there was no time to lose, I went at it and reached the top.” This, however, was not the summit, “I was only between the teeth of the saw.” Finding a small diagonal ledge, he made it to the very top. The beauty of the view from such a lofty pinnacle, “gave one the idea of being suspended in the air and cut off from all communication with the world below.”

On the Map of the State of California (1857), the Buttes are the “Yuba Buttes.” The Reis brothers sold the mine in 1870 to a London Company, which called it the Sierra Buttes Mine. In 1896, the Sierra Club Bulletin formally documented the toponym, “Sierra Buttes.” Subsequently, the U.S. Board on Geographic Names adopted the name.

The Lookout Tower

There were disastrous fires throughout the West in 1910, with the U.S. Forest Service responding by building lookouts for fire detection. The Sierra Buttes was obviously selected, and a 12’ by 12’ cabin with a trail to it was constructed in 1915. There were 200 visitors in 1939, and in 1940, a steel lookout shelter was built by the CCC.

The fierce winter of 1962 obliterated ten lookouts in Oregon and severely damaged the one on Sierra Buttes, enough so that a serious upgrade was required. Richard Eacobacci headed a crew of Tahoe National Forest employees in rebuilding the lookout in 1963. His daughter, Patty, has created an inspiring and gorgeous film about its rebuilding. It’s called When the Wild Mountain Calls, and it’s about the lookout standing today. It will debut in July of 2026.

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When the Wild Mountain Calls debuts in an event sponsored by the Sierra County Land Trust, Sunday, July 12, 2026, at the Sierra City Community Hall, 8 AM - 8 PM, film screens at 6:30 PM. Trailer: tmmlink.com/84OAZq8.