Ansel, California
25 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1915 and the latest in 1981. It stands in the East Kern census division. It lies in ZIP code area 93560. The Survey maps it on the Soledad Mountain quadrangle. It stands 2,516 feet above sea level.
Then and now
1915 to 1981The same ground, surveyed 66 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.


Topographic sheets covering this place
13 surveys from 25 printed sheetsMatched 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.
- 1915 USGS Elizabeth Lake quadrangle1:125000
- 1915 USGS Elizabeth Lake quadrangle1:96000
- 1917 USGS Elizabeth Lake quadrangle1:125000, 6 printings
- 1943 USGS Rosamond quadrangle1:62500, 2 printings
- 1947 USGS Soledad Mountain quadrangle1:24000
- 1949 USGS Los Angeles quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1955 USGS Los Angeles quadrangle1:250000
- 1956 USGS Rosamond quadrangle1:62500, 2 printings
- 1959 USGS Los Angeles quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1966 USGS Los Angeles quadrangle1:250000
- 1973 USGS Soledad Mtn quadrangle1:24000
- 1975 USGS Los Angeles quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1981 USGS Lancaster quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
148 since 1996Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 148 fires within 5 miles of Ansel between 1996 and 2020, burning about 1,064 acres in total. 3 started naturally. 13 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/undetermined | 86 |
| Smoking | 15 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 13 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 10 |
| Debris and open burning | 8 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 7 |
| Firearms and explosives use | 5 |
| Natural | 3 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 September 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection | not named |
| 4 September 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | under an acre | California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection | not named |
| 30 September 2007 | Misuse of fire by a minor | under an acre | California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection | not named |
| 30 September 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | under an acre | California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection | not named |
| 30 September 2006 | Smoking | under an acre | California Desert District | UNNAMED FIRE 1120 |
| 24 September 2012 | Smoking | 1.0 acres | Kern County Fire Department | not named |
| 18 September 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 6.5 acres | California Desert District | BACKUS |
| 15 September 2011 | Smoking | under an acre | Kern County Fire Department | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
10 of 25 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 25 workings within 5 miles of Ansel: 12 past producers, 7 prospects, 4 producers, 2 occurrences. 4 still produce. What was taken out: Gold, Uranium, Stone, Crushed/Broken, Clay. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Desert Rock Milling Co. Quarries | Stone | Past Producer | ||
| Pharlap Claims | Beryllium | Prospect | ||
| Pious Quarry | Granite | Producer | ||
| Rosamond Mill | Barium-Barite | Producer | ||
| Rosamond Mine | Silica, Stone, Feldspar | Past Producer | ||
| Rosamond Uranium Prospect | Uranium, Gold, Silver | Prospect | ||
| Zoledad East | Gold, Silver | Past Producer | ||
| Los Angeles | Clay | Past Producer | ||
| Tropico Pit | Clay | Producer | ||
| Desert Rock Milling Co. Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer |
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 | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eaires (historical) | 1.8 miles | 25 | |
| Rosamond | 2.9 miles | 28 | |
| Gloster | 3.5 miles | 25 | |
| Actis | 3.7 miles | 25 | |
| Gold Town (historical) | 6.7 miles | 28 | |
| Fleta | 6.8 miles | 28 | |
| Sanborn | 7.1 miles | 30 | |
| Reefer City (historical) | 7.1 miles | 28 |
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 Q4770574 | The 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 1660255. 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.












