Steptoe Butte is a quartzite island jutting out of the silty loess of the Palouse hills in Whitman County, Washington, in the northwest United States. The 3612ft butte is preserved as Steptoe Butte State Park, a publicly owned 150acres recreation area located east of Colfax. Steptoe Butte and Kamiak Butte comprise Steptoe and Kamiak Buttes National Natural Landmark.GeologyThe rock that forms the butte is over 400 million years old, in contrast with the 15–7 million year old Columbia River Basalts that underlie the rest of the Palouse. Steptoe Butte has become an archetype, as isolated protrusions of bedrock, such as summits of hills or mountains, in lava flows have come to be called "steptoes." Elevation: above sea level, approximately 1000ft above the surrounding countryside (prominence).Visibility: Up to 70-. Mount Spokane is easily visible, 70mi to the north.HistoryThe butte was named after Colonel Edward Steptoe. A hotel built by James S. "Cashup" Davis stood atop the butte from 1888 to 1908, burning down several years after it closed. In 1946, Virgil McCroskey donated of land to form the park, which was later increased to over.
