Tempe Butte
Tempe Butte | |
---|---|
"A" Mountain O'odham: ʼOidbaḍ Doʼag | |
Highest point | |
Elevation | 1,495 ft (456 m) NAVD 88[1] |
Prominence | 330 ft (100 m)[2] |
Coordinates | 33°25′42″N 111°56′09″W / 33.428234536°N 111.935780928°W[1] |
Geography | |
Location | Tempe Maricopa County, Arizona, U.S. |
Topo map | USGS Tempe |
Tempe Butte (
The highest point of Tempe Butte stands at 1,495 feet (456 m) in elevation, while its base is at approximately 1,150 feet (350 m) in elevation.
Tempe Butte is most often seen as the backdrop to games held in
Geography
Originally, Tempe Butte was part of a series of horizontal layers, but the strata have been tilted, associated with the formation of South Mountain, and millennia of erosion has created the distinctive hogback of resistant andesite, over sedimentary deposits and rhyolite beds.
Despite intensive development, the butte and its immediate surroundings continue to support a variety of native vegetation, including
History
Signs of early habitation by the Hohokam people have been found on Tempe Butte, including petroglyphs, pot shards, scrapers, and metate. "'Oidbaḍ Doʼag," the name used by the local Native Americans, means "Dead Field Mountain."[3]
The area just west of the butte would be settled by the 1870s in an area first known as Hayden's Ferry, then a major crossing for the
More recent alterations include two water tanks on the south flank of the butte, and several trails, at least one paved, to provide access to man-made structures. The east side of the butte was partially excavated in order to accommodate the construction of Sun Devil Stadium in 1958. A 50-foot-tall (15 m) radio tower was built on the top of the mountain in 1962 for the Salt River Project.[1]
In 1961, the City Council changed the mountain's name to "Hayden Butte," honoring early settler
In 1965, Arizona State University installed a concrete letter 'A' on the butte.[3] The City of Tempe designated the area a "preserve" in 2002.[3]
In May 2019 all towers and related materials were removed permanently by the city of Tempe.[6] Recent development along the adjacent stretch of the Salt River (which has been dammed to form Tempe Town Lake) has prompted several grassroots movements to preserve the butte from further environmental damage.[7]
Capital "A"
Originally, the letter on Tempe Butte was an 'N', built by Tempe Normal School's class of 1918. The school changed its name to Tempe State Teacher's College in 1925, and the 'N' was adapted into a 'T'. Subsequently, three years later, the school would change its name again to Arizona State Teacher's College. It wasn't until 1938 that an “A” first appeared. It was formed from loose rocks and soon after, the fall ritual of whitewashing the "A" began. In 1952, vandals with dynamite completely destroyed the "A." Today's "A," made of reinforced steel and poured concrete, was built in 1955. It is 60 feet from its base to its top.[8]
Due to the existence of an "A Mountain" for the
References
- ^ a b c "Tempe Butte". NGS Data Sheet. National Geodetic Survey, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, United States Department of Commerce. Retrieved February 9, 2014.
- ^ "Tempe Butte, Arizona". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved February 9, 2014.
- ^ a b c "Hayden Butte Preserve Management Plan". Tempe.gov. 2017. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
- ^ a b Branom, Mike (June 22, 2008). "Tempe Butte steps closer to historic register". East Valley Tribune. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
In 1961, the City Council changed the mountain's name to Hayden Butte, honoring Tempe's founder and his son, former U.S. Sen. Carl Hayden. However, the city never takes up the change with the U.S. Geological Survey, leading to the two names.
- ^ "USGS Geological Survey Bulletin 845: Main Line, Picacho to Phoeniz and Wellton, Ariz". US Geological Survey. 2007. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
Just east of the bridge over the Salt River is Tempe Butte (see fig. 50), a prominent landmark due to a heavy mass of lava (andesite) lying on shale and sandstone, which with the lava is tilted to the southeast at an angle of 45° or more. The base is a massive sandstone quarried to some extent for building. The strata are more and more mixed with clay toward the top, where most of the material under the lava is red shale. More red sandstone in massive beds is exposed north of the river opposite Tempe; it grades down into a coarse granitic arkose or breccia lying on an irregular surface of old granite. It dips 65° NW., nearly at right angles to the dip of the exposure in Tempe Butte. This sandstone was found in a well 1-1/2 miles northeast of Tempe, but a well 2-1/2 miles northwest of the town was entirely in granite. Similar arkose and conglomerate lie on granite in Camelback Mountain, near Phoenix.
- ^ "A-Mountain trails closed Friday due to radio towers being removed". FOX 10 Phoenix. May 24, 2019. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
- ^ "What a : Developers and anti-growth activists want a piece of Tempe's mythical mountain". Phoenix New Times. May 11, 2000. Archived from the original on May 4, 2005. Retrieved February 8, 2014.
- ^ "Hayden Butte Preserve Park". City of Tempe. Retrieved March 15, 2017.
- ^ "Students restore 'A' Mountain after UA fans paint it blue". The State Press. November 21, 2011.
- ^ Marissa Scott (October 18, 2012). "Giant A on ASU campus painted green". AZCentral.com. Retrieved November 21, 2012.
- ^ "'A' Mountain painted purple". AZCentral.com. Retrieved November 21, 2012.
External links
- ASU Campus Tour: A Mountain
- Overview of Tempe Butte physical geography
- Description of Tempe Butte by Tempe Historic Property Register
- Tempe Butte on LoJ Lists of Peak