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Clipper Gap, California

33 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1891 and the latest in 1994. It stands in the Auburn census division. The Survey maps it on the Auburn quadrangle. It stands 1,676 feet above sea level.

Clipper Gap within Placer 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 Clipper Gap, surveyed 1994
Topographic sheet of Clipper Gap, surveyed 1891

Topographic sheets covering this place

12 surveys from 33 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

860 since 1992

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 860 fires within 5 miles of Clipper Gap between 1992 and 2020, burning about 6,130 acres in total. 7 started naturally. 49 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/undetermined376
Equipment and vehicle use216
Debris and open burning129
Arson/incendiarism49
Smoking28
Misuse of fire by a minor26
Power generation/transmission/distribution18
Recreation and ceremony8
Natural7
Fireworks1
Railroad operations and maintenance1
Other causes1

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 2017Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire ProtectionGERRY
9 September 2016Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire ProtectionEDGEWOOD
9 September 2010Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreNevada-Yuba-Placer UnitAUBURN
9 September 2009Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreNevada-Yuba-Placer UnitAIRPORT
9 September 1993Arson/incendiarism2.0 acresNevada-Yuba-Placer UnitCEADER
9 September 1992Arson/incendiarism150 acresNevada-Yuba-Placer UnitFORESTHILL
8 September 2011Misuse of fire by a minor1.0 acresNevada-Yuba-Placer UnitLINCOLN
8 September 2005Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Placer County

Mines and quarries near this place

10 of 165 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 165 workings within 5 miles of Clipper Gap: 59 occurrences, 53 unknowns, 38 past producers, 13 producers. 13 still produce. What was taken out: Gold, Stone, Crushed/Broken, Copper, 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
Cool-Cave Valley QuarryLimestone, GeneralProducer
Coulton Lime and Stone-Auburn PlantLimestone, DimensionProducer
Elder MineCopper, MolybdenumOccurrenceChalcopyrite, Malachite, Pyrite
Green Point Mercury and Uranium PspMercury, UraniumProspect
LakeviewCopper, GoldPast ProducerVein
Mammoth BarGold, Platinum, Rhodium, Palladium, Iridium, OsmiumProducerStream Placer
MargueriteGold, Copper, LeadPast ProducerChalcopyrite, Galena, Gold, Pyrite
Meadow Vista QuarryStonePast Producer
Pacific Gold Dredging Co.Gold, Platinum, Palladium, Rhodium, IridiumProducerStream Placer
Peter Oest ClaimCopper, Silver, GoldProducer

Every working recorded in Placer County

Storms near this place

2 since 2014

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Clipper Gap in 2 storm reports between 2014 and 2026: 1 flash flood, 1 heavy rain. The reports record 1 death. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
January 2026Heavy RainClipper Gap1 killedThere were numerous reports of roadway flooding and rises on small creeks and streams in the area due to heavy rain. A hiker went missing on January 2nd around 2:00 PM. Search and research operations from Placer County to help find the missing individual where underway through the weekend. The hiker's body was recovered Monday afternoon.
December 2014Flash FloodClipper Gap$1,000I80 and Clipper Gap Rd. Lane 1 had 1-2 feet deep water, 75 feet across, flooding the entire off ramp.

Every storm recorded in Placer 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
Nielsburg1.2 miles33
Meadow Vista2.2 miles29
Bowman2.5 miles33
Applegate2.5 miles34
Heather Glen3.9 miles34
North Auburn4.3 miles33
Twin Pines4.4 miles34
Elders Corner4.5 miles33

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.

Wikipedia article on Clipper GapAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q5134370The 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 1658291. 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.

Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.