The Maidu Indians called the Sutter Buttes “Histum Yani,” which translates to Spirit Mountain or Middle Mountains of the Valley. Translations differ. After death the spirits of the Maidu rest in the Buttes before the journey to the afterlife. In a time before roads, Histum Yani was a refuge from the flooding of the valley from winter run-off. The Maidu believed the buttes were the center of creation, the source of the first Maidu man and woman.
Just remember – a volcano lives here!