Barnes Butte

Last updated

Barnes Butte
Barnes Butte near Prineville, Oregon (13999908157).jpg
The north slope of Barnes Butte with Barnes Butte Reservoir below.
Highest point
Elevation 3,549 ft (1,082 m)
Coordinates 44°19′07″N120°48′38″W / 44.31861°N 120.81056°W / 44.31861; -120.81056
Geography
Barnes Butte
Location Crook County, Oregon, U.S.
Geology
Rock age ~27.5 Ma [1]

Barnes Butte is a rhyolite dome of volcanic rock in Crook County, Oregon, United States located partly within the city of Prineville. Barnes Butte is composed of welded tuff and is a part of the Crooked River caldera. [2] It was the site of a 1940s mercury mine. [1] [3] In 2015, a BLM cleanup of mercury was done to reduce the health risk to residents of nearby IronHorse neighborhood and the Barnes Butte Elementary School. [4]

The butte is a recreational area and includes the Barnes Butte hiking trail, a 4-mile (6.4 km) loop that includes a 2.6-mile (4.2 km) hike to the summit. [5] [6]

A concept plan, "Echo of the Butte," was developed by the Barnes Butte Focus Committee to establish a visitor's center, amphitheater, and pond around the Happy Hour Plateau. Further development will be conducted on the trails with redeveloped paved paths and a boardwalk on BLM land. Included in the plan is nature rehabilitation, a bat adit along the trail towards the butte, and rest areas. As a part of resolution no. 1472, the Prineville City Council joined by mayor Rodney J. Beebe adopted the concept plan January 26, 2021. [7]

The butte is considered one of three popular landmarks near Prineville and has been set aside for scenic preservation. [8]

References

  1. 1 2 "Preliminary Geology of the Lower Crooked River Basin". OregonGeology.org. Archived from the original on December 28, 2017. Retrieved December 28, 2017.
  2. ↑ "Field trip guide to the Neogene stratigraphy of the Lower Crooked Basin and the ancestral Crooked River, Crook County, Oregon" (PDF). OregonGeology.org. Retrieved December 28, 2017.
  3. ↑ "Field trip guide to the Oligocene Crooked River caldera: Central Oregon's Supervolcano, Crook, Deschutes, and Jefferson Counties, Oregon" (PDF). OregonGeology.org. Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Studies. 2009. Retrieved December 29, 2014.
  4. ↑ "BLM launches mercury cleanup at Barnes Butte". Oregonlive.com. Retrieved December 28, 2017.
  5. ↑ "The IronHorse Trail Map". ironhorseprineville.com. Retrieved December 28, 2017.
  6. ↑ "Barnes Butte Trail". Prineville Crook County Chamber of Commerce & Visitor Center. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
  7. ↑ "Barnes Butte Concept Plan" (PDF).
  8. ↑ "Crook County Comprehensive Plan - Adopted 1978, Codified January, 2003" (PDF). Co.Crook.Or.Us. Retrieved December 28, 2017.


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