Guffey Butte–Black Butte Archeological District

The Guffey Butte–Black Butte Archeological District is a 14,000 acres (57 km²) historic district in southwestern Idaho, United States, that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).^[1] It includes numerous archeological sites in Ada, Canyon, Elmore, and Owyhee counties.

Guffey Butte-Black Butte Archeological District
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Petroglyph boulder in Owyhee County portion of the district, October 1976
Show map of Idaho Show map of the United States
Coordinates	43.299253°N 116.521777°W / 43.299253; -116.521777
Area	14,000 acres (57 km2)
NRHP reference No.	78001038[1]
Added to NRHP	October 10, 1978

Description

Petroglyph in Celebration Park,
April 2010

The district includes 117 contributing sites and one contributing structure.^[1] Celebration Park, in the district, protects a set of archeological resources that are part of the historic district.

The district runs approximately 34 miles (55 km) along the Snake River in all four counties^[2]

It is an area which was densely populated in prehistoric times, and was listed for its information potential.^[3]

It includes the old townsite of Guffey which was a railroad construction camp in 1897, and then soon abandoned in favor of competitor Murphy.

It includes the Guffey Railroad Bridge, the first bridge over the Snake River in the area, which was built during 1896–97.^[3]

It includes the Swan Falls Dam and Power Plant, which is separately listed on the National Register.^[3]

Guffey Butte is a climbing peak in Owyhee County. Geologically, it is a "basaltic maar and tuff cone complex that was formed about one million years ago near the southwestern margin of the western Snake River Plain. Its evolution was characterized by two distinctly similar, yet non-synchronous, sequences of events. The result of these events is a single complex volcanic structure composed of deposits from two separate vent systems."^[4]

The district was added to the NRHP October 10, 1978.^[1]

See also

• National Register of Historic Places portal

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Ada County, Idaho
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Canyon County, Idaho
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Elmore County, Idaho
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Owyhee County, Idaho

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
2. "Map #8 - Guffey Butte / Black Butte Historical District" (PDF) (Map). blm.gov. Bureau of Land Management. January 28, 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 14, 2015.
3. Thomas J. Green; Glenda L. Torgeson (February 8, 1977). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Guffey Butte-Black Butte Archeological District" (PDF). Idaho. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 17, 2017. Retrieved May 28, 2018. (redacted about locations) Includes seven photos from 1976.
4. Watson, Christopher Aaron (1999). "The Evolution of Guffey Butte Tuff Cone Complex, Western Snake River Plain, Idaho". scholarworks.boisestate.edu. Boise State University. Retrieved May 23, 2020..

External links

Media related to Guffey Butte - Black Butte Archaeological District at Wikimedia Commons