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Alta Sierra Ranches, California

29 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1888 and the latest in 1998. It stands in the Grass Valley census division. It lies in ZIP code area 95949. It lies near Buck Mountain. The Survey maps it on the Lake Combie quadrangle.

Alta Sierra Ranches within Nevada County

Then and now

1888 to 1998

The same ground, surveyed 110 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.

Topographic sheet of Alta Sierra Ranches, surveyed 1998
Topographic sheet of Alta Sierra Ranches, surveyed 1888

Topographic sheets covering this place

13 surveys from 29 printed sheets

Matched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.

Fires near this place

777 since 1992

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 777 fires within 5 miles of Alta Sierra Ranches between 1992 and 2020, burning about 941 acres in total. 8 started naturally. 24 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause Fires
Missing data/not specified/undetermined297
Debris and open burning202
Equipment and vehicle use157
Misuse of fire by a minor38
Arson/incendiarism24
Smoking22
Power generation/transmission/distribution17
Natural8
Recreation and ceremony8
Railroad operations and maintenance4

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
9 September 2006Equipment and vehicle useunder an acreCentral California DistrictTHORNICROFT
9 September 2005Equipment and vehicle useunder an acreCentral California DistrictOSCAR
9 September 2002Equipment and vehicle useunder an acreCentral California DistrictGIBBONEY
9 September 1992Equipment and vehicle useunder an acreNevada-Yuba-Placer UnitPGE
8 September 2016Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire ProtectionOAK
8 September 2015Debris and open burningunder an acreNevada-Yuba-Placer UnitCARRIAGE
7 September 2009Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreNevada-Yuba-Placer UnitPOWERLINE
7 September 2004Missing data/not specified/undetermined7.0 acresNevada-Yuba-Placer UnitKNOLLS

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Nevada County

Mines and quarries near this place

10 of 120 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 120 workings within 5 miles of Alta Sierra Ranches: 45 occurrences, 41 past producers, 12 unknowns, 11 prospects. 11 still produce. What was taken out: Gold, Chromium, Manganese, Sand and Gravel, Construction. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
AmadorGold, TungstenPast ProducerGold, Scheelite
Amador Consolidated ClaimsGold, MolybdenumOccurrence
Bear RiverGold, Arsenic, SilverUnknown
Colfax MineClayProducer
Half Chrome MineIron, ChromiumPast Producer1916
Lime Kiln RanchLimestone, DimensionOccurrence
Meadow Vista QuarryStonePast Producer
Nevada County Pb-Zn PropertyLead, ZincPast Producer
PrudentialGold, ArsenicPast ProducerGold
UnnamedGold, Silver, ArsenicPast ProducerGold, Pyrite, Tetrahedrite

Every working recorded in Nevada County

Nearest settlements

The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.

Map PlaceDistance Sheets
Alta Sierra Estates1.8 miles29
Sierra Knoll Estates2.6 miles29
Alta Sierra3.0 miles28
Cherry Creek Acres3.1 miles29
Birch Meadow Acres3.5 miles28
Dew Drop3.5 miles29
Willaura Estates3.9 miles29
Kenwood Estates4.2 miles28

Elsewhere

Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.

Wikidata item Q17039946The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0).

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 1682833. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.

Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.