Tempe Butte, a volcanic andesite hill in Tempe, Arizona, rises above the Salt River corridor as a prominent landmark and preserve. Shaped by ancient geologic processes and erosion, it still supports Sonoran Desert plants and small wildlife despite the surrounding city. The butte also preserves a long human history, with evidence of Hohokam habitation and an O'odham name meaning Dead Field Mountain. It stood beside Hayden's Ferry, the settlement that became Tempe, and later became tied to Arizona State University through the giant summit letter that evolved from N to T to A. Today it links Indigenous history, early settlement, university tradition, and urban preservation.