and western skinks. Human history The Powell Buttes are named for members of the Joseph Powell family who were among the first American pioneers to cross the Cascade Range from the Willamette Valley to range their cattle in Central Oregon. In 1989, the Bureau of Land Management established a Research Natural Area along the south side of the mountain including the southwest and southeast slopes. The area's status was confirmed by a second study in 2005. A large destination resort by Pahlisch Homes, called the Hidden Canyon, was planned for development on the buttes but never saw completion because of land impact issues related to wildlife, among other reasons. From 1986 to 2018, Powell Butte was the site of one of two facilities of Oregon State University's Central Oregon Agricultural Research Center. The Powell Butte agricultural research farm acted as a center for potato variety development and hay production. The site encompassed , most of which were dedicated to potato seed development. In 2010, an outbreak of the potato cyst nematode Globodera ellingtonae caused the farm to shut down, with major research activity moving to a different site in the city of Klamath Falls. In June 2018, the land was sold to an industrial hemp producer. References Buttes of Oregon Landforms of Crook County, Oregon Mountains of Oregon Volcanoes of Crook County, Oregon Volcanoes of Oregon