Butchart Butte named in Grand Canyon National Park
On July 16, 2008, the Arizona State Board on Geographic and Historic Names voted to officially designate Butchart Butte in Grand Canyon National Park in honor of pioneering Grand Canyon explorer Harvey Butchart. The new name will appear on state maps made in Arizona, with federal approval to be determined in 2008.
Dedicated Grand Canyon hiker and climber Jim Haggart submitted the proposal for Butchart Butte. Chosen for its rugged beauty, remote location, and visibility from both the North and South Rims, Butchart Butte is a fitting tribute that will be seen by millions of visitors each year.
The butte is a 2,317-meter (7,601-foot) summit of Coconino Sandstone in Grand Canyon National Park, on the North Rim, midway between Cochise Butte and Siegfried Pyre, 1 km (0.6 mi) SSE of Jeffords Point at 36°12'15”N, 111°53'48”W. Butchart Butte rises between Lava and Kwagunt Canyons and may be readily seen from the North Rim's Point Imperial and the South Rim's Desert View. To see the butte on a topographic map, please click here.
Nearly 150 summits have been named in Grand Canyon National Park. However, only two have been named in the last 30 years. Berry Butte was the most recent, back in 1997 (commemorating Grand Canyon entrepreneur Pete Berry), making Butchart Butte the first in 11 years.
Harvey Butchart's fame, as detailed in the Puma Press book Grand Obsession: Harvey Butchart and the Exploration of Grand Canyon, came in part due to his extensive climbing in the Canyon. Butchart holds the record for most first ascents in the park (28) and climbed 83 buttes total between the years 1957-1987. In addition, the Northern Arizona University mathematics professor and native of China covered 12,000 miles on foot below the rim. Butchart recorded his findings for the benefit of the public and the National Park Service with the publication of his backcountry guidebooks Grand Canyon Treks I, II & III.
Butchart Butte has been climbed prior to its naming, although not by Butchart himself. In October, 1971, Butchart did climb neighboring Siegfried Pyre, and wrote the following in his logbook after surveying the scene from atop its summit:
"Siegfried would rank high among the most satisfying summits I have reached. The area is outstanding for buttes and deep canyons."
Below is a series of photographs, made by Jim Haggart (including two "rim views" by Elias Butler), showing Butchart Butte.
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