BlockBefore

Gaston, California

31 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1891 and the latest in 2000. It stands in the Nevada City census division. It lies in ZIP code area 95986. It stands on Baltic Creek. The Survey maps it on the Graniteville quadrangle. It stands 5,062 feet above sea level.

Gaston within Nevada County

Then and now

1891 to 2000

The same ground, surveyed 109 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.

Topographic sheet of Gaston, surveyed 2000
Topographic sheet of Gaston, surveyed 1891

Topographic sheets covering this place

13 surveys from 31 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

93 since 1992

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 93 fires within 5 miles of Gaston between 1992 and 2020, burning about 4,579 acres in total. 39 started naturally. None 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
Natural39
Recreation and ceremony20
Missing data/not specified/undetermined16
Debris and open burning7
Smoking3
Power generation/transmission/distribution3
Equipment and vehicle use2
Other causes1
Fireworks1
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
9 September 2007Recreation and ceremonyunder an acreTahoe National ForestFULLER
8 September 2003Recreation and ceremonyunder an acreTahoe National ForestCROSSING
7 September 2020Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreTahoe National ForestALPHA
30 September 2016Power generation/transmission/distribution5.0 acresTahoe National ForestGERMAN
30 September 1992Missing data/not specified/undetermined5.0 acresTahoe National ForestSPANISH #2
3 September 2005Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreTahoe National ForestPOOR
29 September 2020Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreTahoe National ForestCHERRY
29 September 2013Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreTahoe National ForestMURPHY

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Nevada County

Mines and quarries near this place

10 of 315 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 315 workings within 5 miles of Gaston: 161 past producers, 100 occurrences, 43 unknowns, 9 producers. 9 still produce. What was taken out: Gold, Chromium, Silver, Copper. 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
Alpha - Omega MinesGold, Platinum, SilverPast Producer1850
Diamond CreekGold, Silver, Zinc, LeadPast ProducerGalena, Gold, Pyrite, Sphalerite
Erie Con LodeGold, Lead, CopperPast ProducerGold, Pyrite
Gaston RidgeGold, Copper, LeadPast ProducerGold
Paine Claims Neva May and GenevieveMineral PigmentsOccurrenceMineral Pigments
Red Ledge MineChromium, IronPast Producer1916
Reported OccurrenceStone, Crushed/BrokenOccurrence
Rocky GlenGold, Lead, SilverPast ProducerGalena, Gold
Spanish MineGold, Barium-Barite, Zinc, Lead, Copper, SilverPast Producer1883
Spanish Qtz.Lead, Gold, Silver, Zinc, CopperPast ProducerGold

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
Dillon (historical)2.2 miles33
Shands (historical)3.0 miles33
Graniteville3.2 miles31
Maybert (historical)3.6 miles34
Washington3.9 miles34
Marsh Mill4.0 miles31
Eagle Bird (historical)4.1 miles34
Omega4.2 miles34

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 GastonAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q5526697The 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 260503. 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.