Bordered by the mighty Sacramento River and dominated by the tumultuous Feather River's four main branches, Butte County is a land of plentiful water, fabulous agricultural soils and high mountains. Here the volcanic Cascade Mountain Range of the Pacific Northwest meets the uplifted Sierra Nevada Range. Eons of river-born soil deposits created hundreds of square miles of the finest agricultural soils.

Today agriculture in Butte County includes nut orchards (walnuts, almonds and pistachios), olives, citrus, rice, vineyards and kiwi fruit as well as cattle and sheep in areas where lava rock dominates. Timbered areas of the county have produced lumber and other forest products, including being a major supplier of naval stores (made from pine resins) for the Union Navy during the Civil War.

Source: Butte County Historical Society