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Big Oak Valley, California

24 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1888 and the latest in 1995. It stands in the Grass Valley census division. It lies in ZIP code area 95977. It lies near Riffle Box Ravine. The Survey maps it on the Smartsville quadrangle.

Big Oak Valley within Nevada County

Then and now

1888 to 1995

The same ground, surveyed 107 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.

Topographic sheet of Big Oak Valley, surveyed 1995
Topographic sheet of Big Oak Valley, surveyed 1888

Topographic sheets covering this place

12 surveys from 24 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

442 since 1992

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 442 fires within 5 miles of Big Oak Valley between 1992 and 2020, burning about 4,038 acres in total. 6 started naturally. 20 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/undetermined166
Equipment and vehicle use135
Debris and open burning74
Arson/incendiarism20
Misuse of fire by a minor20
Power generation/transmission/distribution8
Natural6
Smoking6
Firearms and explosives use3
Other causes3
Recreation and ceremony1

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 2012Arson/incendiarismunder an acreNevada-Yuba-Placer UnitJOHN
8 September 2013Equipment and vehicle use5.0 acresNevada-Yuba-Placer UnitSPENCEVILLE
8 September 2012Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreNevada-Yuba-Placer UnitMELODY
8 September 2011Missing data/not specified/undetermined3.7 acresNevada-Yuba-Placer UnitCHUCK
8 September 2006Equipment and vehicle useunder an acreCentral California DistrictROADSIDE
8 September 2002Equipment and vehicle use210 acresNevada-Yuba-Placer UnitBLACK
8 September 1998Equipment and vehicle use3.0 acresCentral California DistrictMOONEY
8 September 1993Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresNevada-Yuba-Placer UnitROADSIDE

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Nevada County

Mines and quarries near this place

10 of 64 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 64 workings within 5 miles of Big Oak Valley: 29 occurrences, 19 past producers, 7 unknowns, 4 producers. 5 still produce. What was taken out: Gold, Copper, Iron, Gold, Silver. 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
Arkasas TravelerCopper, Gold, ZincPast ProducerReplacement
Bitner GroupCopper, Gold, Aluminum, MagnesitePast ProducerChalcopyrite
California MineCopper, Gold, SilverOccurrenceVein
Clack Rock QuarryStoneProducer
Dempsey RanchIron, Clay, Stone, Crushed/BrokenUnknown
Parks Bar QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenProducer
River Rock Sand & GravelSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
TaylorIron, Copper, GoldProducerVein
Western WorldCopper, Silver, Gold, ZincPast Producer1973
Anthoney HouseGold, SilverPast Producer

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
Mooney Flat1.9 miles24
Penn Valley3.5 miles27
Lake Wildwood4.1 miles27
Casey Corner4.2 miles27
Rough and Ready6.9 miles27
Bridgeport7.6 miles27
Bitney Corner8.3 miles28
Sunset View8.9 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 Q122589154The 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 2363569. 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.