BlockBefore

Bells Bar, California

27 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1891 and the latest in 1994. It stands in the Quincy census division. It stands on Bell Bar Creek. The Survey maps it on the Blue Nose Mountain quadrangle. It stands 4,068 feet above sea level. The federal gazetteer marks this settlement historical: it is no longer a populated place, though the surveys that recorded it still are.

Bells Bar within Plumas County

Then and now

1891 to 1994

The same ground, surveyed 103 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.

Topographic sheet of Bells Bar (historical), surveyed 1994
Topographic sheet of Bells Bar (historical), surveyed 1891

Topographic sheets covering this place

11 surveys from 27 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

135 since 1992

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 135 fires within 5 miles of Bells Bar (historical) between 1992 and 2020, burning about 5,700 acres in total. 67 started naturally. 1 was 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
Natural67
Missing data/not specified/undetermined23
Debris and open burning15
Railroad operations and maintenance9
Recreation and ceremony7
Equipment and vehicle use7
Smoking3
Other causes2
Arson/incendiarism1
Misuse of fire by a minor1

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
8 September 2012Smokingunder an acrePlumas National ForestCROSSING
7 September 2019Equipment and vehicle useunder an acrePlumas National ForestGILL
7 September 2003Naturalunder an acrePlumas National ForestSOCKUM
4 September 1997Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acrePlumas National ForestGILL
3 September 2003Naturalunder an acrePlumas National ForestCAP
28 September 2011Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acrePlumas National ForestRUNNING
28 September 2000Railroad operations and maintenanceunder an acrePlumas National ForestSLOAT
28 September 1996Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acrePlumas National ForestPOPLAR

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Plumas County

Mines and quarries near this place

10 of 46 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 46 workings within 5 miles of Bells Bar (historical): 23 past producers, 10 occurrences, 7 unknowns, 4 producers. 4 still produce. What was taken out: Gold, Silver, Sand and Gravel, Construction, Asbestos. 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
CrislerManganeseProspect1960
OhioCopper, Gold, LeadPast Producer
Silver White Placer ClaimLimestone, DimensionPast Producer
Spring Garden TunnelAsbestosOccurrence
Sloat Mill PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Sloat PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
De LoneGold, SilverPast Producer
GreenhornGold, SilverPast Producer
GrizzlyGold, SilverPast Producer
Grizzly BearGold, SilverPast Producer

Every working recorded in Plumas 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
Sloat1.3 miles28
Greenhorn2.7 miles27
Spring Garden2.7 miles27
Cromberg3.2 miles28
English Bar (historical)3.4 miles27
Argentine (historical)4.2 miles27
Squirrel Creek (historical)5.2 miles28
Two Rivers5.2 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 Q4884143The 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 1701337. 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.