Butte Lake, Lassen County

Butte Lake, circa 1920. Roy Sifford, of Drakesbad fame wrote: "The sign of the Manitou which means the sign of God. The shadows in the water made a long arrows which the Indians thought that was a sign of the Great Spirit (Manitou) or God gave them. Courtesy of the Sifford Collection. — Butte Lake, circa 1920. Roy Sifford, of Drakesbad fame wrote: “The sign of the Manitou which means the sign of God. The shadows in the water made a long arrows which the Indians thought that was a sign of the Great Spirit (Manitou) or God gave them. Courtesy of the Sifford Collection.

Butte Lake in the eastern portion of Lassen Volcanic National Park is worthy of a trip. Because of its location and access is from a dirt road off of Highway 44 tends to be crowd free. This lake was originally referred as to Black Butte Lake and later Lake Bidwell. J.S. Diller named it Lake Bidwell in honor of General John Bidwell who came to California in 1841 and founded the town of Chico. The official name dates back to 1883 and no doubt received its name from two surrounding landmarks, Cinder Butte and Black Butte.

The French Canadian trappers of the Hudson Bay Company introduced the term “butte” to Western Americana. It was used to designate a landmark for an isolated peak, but not high or large enough to be a mountain.

Exploring Lassen County's Past

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