Huerfano Butte

{{Short description|Mountain in Colorado, United States of America}}

{{About|the Colorado butte|the Arizona butte|Huerfano Butte (Arizona)}}

{{Infobox mountain

| name = Huerfano Butte

| photo = Huerfano Butte.jpg

| photo_caption =

| elevation_ft = 6174

| elevation_ref = {{cite ngs|pid=HK0510|name=HUERFANO BUTTE|accessdate=November 4, 2014}} Note: The summit of Huerfano Butte is +1.40 m (+4.6 ft) higher than NGS station HUERFANO BUTTE.The elevation of Huerfano Butte includes an adjustment of +0.984 m (+3.23 ft) from NGVD 29 to NAVD 88.

| prominence_ft = 181

| prominence_ref = {{cite peakbagger|pid=57428|title=Huerfano Butte, Colorado|access-date=June 25, 2018}}

| isolation_mi =

| isolation_ref =

| location = Huerfano County, Colorado, U.S.{{cite gnis|id=194058|name=Huerfano Butte|access-date=November 4, 2014}}

| range = Spanish Peaks area

| map = Colorado#USA

| map_caption = Colorado

| coordinates = {{coord|37.7539441|N|104.8268349|W|type:mountain_region:US-CO_scale:100000|format=dms|display=inline,title}}

| range_coordinates =

| coordinates_ref =

| topo = USGS 7.5' topographic map
Huerfano Butte, Colorado

| type = Volcanic plug or hypabyssal plug

| first_ascent =

| easiest_route =

}}

Huerfano Butte ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|w|ɛər|f|ə|n|oʊ}}; {{IPA|es|ˈweɾfano}}) is a volcanic plug{{cite book|author=University of Notre Dame|title=The American midland naturalist|year=1989|publisher=University of Notre Dame.|page=198|quote=Huerfano Butte is a volcanic plug located approximately 15km ne of Walsenburg, Colorado...}} or hypabyssal plug{{cite web |url=http://www.spanishpeakscolorado.com/Huerfano_Butte/AGUABS.html |title=What's the Scoop on Huerfano Butte? |last=Penn |first=Brian S. |date=1995 |website=Igneous Petrology of the Spanish Peaks |access-date=2018-03-03 }} located {{convert|14.1|km|order=flip}} north of Walsenburg in Huerfano County, Colorado, United States. Named Huérfano (English: orphan) by early Spanish explorers,{{cite book | url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ | title=The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States | publisher=Govt. Print. Off. | author=Gannett, Henry | year=1905 | pages=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ/page/n161 162]}} it rises above the south side of the Huerfano River with its peak about {{convert|200|ft|0}} above the floodplain.

A historical marker was placed on the east side of Interstate 25 to commemorate its position near the Trapper's Trail to Taos, New Mexico. It was passed by John Williams Gunnison and John C. Frémont during their surveys for the railroads. Other places are now also named after the butte, Huerfano County and Huerfano River.{{cite magazine|url=http://legacy.historycolorado.org/sites/default/files/files/Researchers/ColoradoMagazine_v47n3_Summer1970.pdf|title=Tales Told with Markers|magazine=Colorado Magazine|date=Summer 1970|page=204|access-date=June 25, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612140916/http://legacy.historycolorado.org/sites/default/files/files/Researchers/ColoradoMagazine_v47n3_Summer1970.pdf|archive-date=June 12, 2018|url-status=dead}}