Ferrum, California
21 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1940 and the latest in 2002. It stands in the Coachella Valley census division. It stands on Salt Creek. The Survey maps it on the Durmid quadrangle.
Then and now
1940 to 2002The same ground, surveyed 62 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
14 surveys from 21 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.
- 1940 USGS Durmid quadrangle1:62500
- 1944 USGS Durmid quadrangle1:62500
- 1954 USGS Salton Sea quadrangle1:250000
- 1955 USGS Salton Sea quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1956 USGS Durmid quadrangle1:24000, 3 printings
- 1957 USGS Durmid quadrangle1:62500
- 1959 USGS Salton Sea quadrangle1:250000, 4 printings
- 1963 USGS Salton Sea quadrangle1:250000
- 1965 USGS Salton Sea quadrangle1:250000
- 1978 USGS Durmid quadrangle1:24000
- 1985 USGS Salton Sea quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
- 1992 USGS Durmid quadrangle1:24000
- 1998 USGS Durmid quadrangle1:24000
- 2002 USGS Durmid quadrangle1:50000
Fires near this place
25 since 1992Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 25 fires within 5 miles of Ferrum between 1992 and 2020, burning about 952 acres in total. 2 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 |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 12 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 5 |
| Natural | 2 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 2 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 1 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 1 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 1 |
| Debris and open burning | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 September 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Riverside Unit | PARKSIDE DR / HY 111 |
| 18 September 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Riverside Unit | PARKSIDE |
| 12 September 2008 | Debris and open burning | 2.0 acres | California Desert District | PARKSIDE |
| 28 August 1999 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Riverside Unit | LOCAL |
| 8 July 1996 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 300 acres | California Desert District | DOSPALMAS |
| 11 July 2006 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | California Desert District | RAILROAD |
| 23 June 1997 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | California Desert District | DROP |
| 22 June 1992 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 1.0 acres | Joshua Tree National Monument | BASS |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
4 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 4 workings within 5 miles of Ferrum: 2 occurrences, 2 past producers. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Sodium, Bromine, Gold. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miller Deposit | Sodium, Bromine | Occurrence | ||
| Palo Verde Group | Gold | Occurrence | ||
| Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer |
Storms near this place
2 since 2018Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Ferrum in 2 storm reports between 2018 and 2022: 2 flash flood. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. 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.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 2022 | Flash Flood | Ferrum | $1,000 | Plows from the California Highway Patrol removed flood debris from SR-111 near Milepost 65. Timing estimated from radar. No injuries were reported. |
| October 2018 | Flash Flood | Ferrum | - | A vigorous upper level low pressure system moved into eastern Riverside County shortly after midnight and triggered the development of numerous showers with embedded thunderstorms. Some of the stronger storms generated very heavy rain, with peak rain rates in excess of 2 inches per hour. The intense rain led to flash flooding just north of the Salton Sea and near the Salton Sea State Recreation Area. According to local law enforcement, at 0005PST flash flooding was observed at State Route 111 and Bay Drive. No accidents were reported due to the flash flooding. A Flash Flood Warning was in effect at the time of the flooding. |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salton | 1.6 miles | 20 | |
| Durmid | 2.4 miles | 21 | |
| Rancho Dos Palmas | 3.2 miles | 21 | |
| Desert Beach | 5.1 miles | 20 | |
| Mortmar | 5.9 miles | 20 | |
| Desert Camp | 8.3 miles | 20 | |
| Caleb (historical) | 9.8 miles | 28 | |
| Oasis | 12.6 miles | 29 |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 1656516. 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.













