Old Dale, California
16 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1942 and the latest in 1985. It stands in the Twentynine Palms-Yucca Valley census division. It lies in ZIP code area 92277. The Survey maps it on the Humbug Mountain quadrangle.
Then and now
1942 to 1985The same ground, surveyed 43 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.


Compare 1942 against another survey:
Topographic sheets covering this place
8 surveys from 16 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.
- 1942 USGS Amboy quadrangle1:250000
- 1943 USGS Amboy quadrangle1:250000
- 1954 USGS Needles quadrangle1:250000
- 1956 USGS Needles quadrangle1:250000, 7 printings
- 1956 USGS Valley Mountain quadrangle1:62500, 3 printings
- 1981 USGS Needles quadrangle1:250000
- 1985 USGS Humbug Mountain quadrangle1:24000
- 1985 USGS Sheep Hole Mountains quadrangle1:100000
Fires near this place
3 since 2007Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 3 fires within 5 miles of Old Dale between 2007 and 2018, burning about 4 acres in total. None 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 |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 August 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | California Desert District | NABORLY |
| 22 June 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Joshua Tree National Monument | MOTOR |
| 27 April 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 4.0 acres | San Bernardino National Forest | EAST |
Mines and quarries near this place
10 of 13 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 13 workings within 5 miles of Old Dale: 10 prospects, 2 past producers, 1 unknown. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Gold, Copper, Manganese, Iron. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia Dale | Gold, Manganese, Iron | Past Producer | 1896 | |
| Unnamed Prospect | Gold, Copper | Prospect | ||
| Unnamed Prospect | Gold, Copper | Prospect | ||
| Exchequer Mine | Gold | Prospect | ||
| Gypsy Queen Mine | Gold | Prospect | ||
| Ivanhoe Mill | Gold | Unknown | ||
| Mrs Gold Prospect No. 1 | Gold | Prospect | ||
| Unnamed Prospect | Gold | Prospect | ||
| Unnamed Prospect | Gold | Prospect | ||
| Unnamed Prospect | Gold | Prospect |
Storms near this place
9 since 2011Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Old Dale in 9 storm reports between 2011 and 2025: 7 flash flood, 2 thunderstorm wind. 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 | Old Dale | $10,000 | About two feet of water and debris flowed over Amboy Rd at Midway Rd. At least one vehicle was stuck. |
| August 2023 | Flash Flood | Old Dale | $5,000 | Highway 62 was closed from 3 miles E of Twentynine Palms to Highway 177 due to flooding. |
| September 2015 | Flash Flood | Old Dale | $2,000 | Rock and debris washed all over Highway 62. |
| September 2014 | Flash Flood | Old Dale | $2,000 | Amboy Road was flooded at Midway Road with lots of debris on the road. Water was still running hours later. |
| September 2025 | Flash Flood | Old Dale | $1,000 | Highway 62 was flooded. |
| August 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Old Dale | $1,000 | Thunderstorm winds snapped two flag poles which fell and damaged two anemometers. |
| July 2012 | Flash Flood | Old Dale | $1,000 | Six inches of water flowed across Gaedke Lane in Wonder Valley. |
| August 2012 | Flash Flood | Old Dale | $1,000 | Amboy Road was closed near Shadow Mountain Road due to flash flooding. |
| August 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Old Dale | $1,000 | There was damage to a shed and an awning. |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bush | 5.2 miles | 17 | |
| Twentynine Palms | 13.8 miles | 17 | |
| The Plaza | 13.9 miles | 17 | |
| Smoke Tree | 15.7 miles | 17 | |
| Harmony Acres | 16.7 miles | 17 | |
| Desert Heights | 19.1 miles | 15 | |
| Panorama Heights | 22.6 miles | 17 | |
| Sunfair Heights | 23.9 miles | 15 |
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 Q122545527 | The 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 252951. 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.







