| Oregon Buttes | |
|---|---|
 Oregon Buttes | |
| Highest point | |
| Peak | North Butte |
| Elevation | 8,562 ft (2,610 m) Oregon Buttes |
| Geography | |
| Location | Sweetwater County |
| Country | United States |
| State | Wyoming |
| Range coordinates | 42°15′36″N 108°50′55″W / 42.259897°N 108.848673°W |
The Oregon Buttes are small buttes, near the Oregon Trail, in what is now the state of Wyoming.
They are just past South Pass, and are two flat-topped summits plus a smaller, conical one. For travelers on the Oregon Trail, the buttes were on the horizon for a day's travel, perhaps more. This was as they crossed Rock Creek, then Willow Creek, and, for the last time, the Sweetwater River.[1]
Pioneers on the trails used physically descriptive names for the buttes: "Table Rock," or "Table Rocks."[2]
Currently, they are in a remote area and can be difficult to get to.[1] From the top of a butte one can see for miles, including to the north the Wind River Mountains, and to the southwest the Unitah Mountain Range.[3]
They rise about 1,500 feet (460 m) from the plain and are flat-topped.[4]
Petrified wood is found in the area,[5] but it is closed for hunting of minerals, as well as gold panning.[3]
Near 12 miles (19 km) southwest of Oregon Buttes stands the Tri-Territory site. This site is where the Oregon Territory, First Mexican Empire, and the Louisiana Purchase met at a single point.[6][7]
- ^ a b "South Pass - Oregon Buttes".
- ^ "Oregon Buttes, Landmark on the Oregon Trail". WyoHistory. February 18, 2017.
- ^ a b "Oregon Buttes Wilderness Study Area". BLM.
- ^ Zeller, H. D. "Geology of the Oregon Buttes Area Sweetwater, Sublette And Fremont Counties Southwestern Wyoming" (PDF).
- ^ "6 Best Location for Finding Petrified Wood Near Me (USA)".
- ^ "Near Lander in Fremont County, Wyoming — The American West (Mountains)".
- ^ "US Bureau of Land Management".