BlockBefore

Port Chicago, California

34 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1896 and the latest in 1983. It stands in the Central Contra Costa census division. It lies in ZIP code area 94565. It lies near Seal Islands. The Survey maps it on the Vine Hill quadrangle. It stands 13 feet above sea level. The federal gazetteer marks this settlement historical: it is no longer a populated place, though the surveys that recorded it still are.

Port Chicago within Contra Costa County

Then and now

1896 to 1983

The same ground, surveyed 87 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.

Topographic sheet of Port Chicago (historical), surveyed 1983
Topographic sheet of Port Chicago (historical), surveyed 1896

Compare 1896 against another survey:

Topographic sheets covering this place

17 surveys from 34 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

315 since 1992

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 315 fires within 5 miles of Port Chicago (historical) between 1992 and 2020, burning about 2,142 acres in total. None started naturally. 64 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/undetermined134
Arson/incendiarism64
Equipment and vehicle use44
Misuse of fire by a minor33
Smoking28
Debris and open burning6
Recreation and ceremony4
Firearms and explosives use1
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
7 September 2010Smokingunder an acreCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named
7 September 2010Equipment and vehicle useunder an acreCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named
7 September 2009Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named
7 September 2006Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named
6 September 2008Arson/incendiarism1.0 acresCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named
5 September 2018Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named
5 September 2010Misuse of fire by a minor1.0 acresCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named
5 September 2008Recreation and ceremony1.0 acresSanta Clara Unitnot named

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Contra Costa County

Mines and quarries near this place

10 of 11 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 11 workings within 5 miles of Port Chicago (historical): 6 occurrences, 2 past producers, 2 producers, 1 prospect. 2 still produce. What was taken out: Stone, Stone, Crushed/Broken, Pumice, Clay. 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
Alves PitClayProducer
AlvarnezPumiceOccurrence
AlvarnezPumicePast Producer
AlvesStone, Crushed/BrokenOccurrence
AlvesStone, Crushed/BrokenOccurrence
Unnamed LocationStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
Scott PitStoneProducer
UnnamedStoneOccurrence
UnnamedStoneOccurrence
UnnamedStoneOccurrence

Every working recorded in Contra Costa 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
Clyde1.5 miles34
Nichols1.8 miles29
Monsanto2.3 miles34
Ohmer (historical)2.5 miles34
Shore Acres3.0 miles29
Avon3.0 miles34
McAvoy3.3 miles29
Maltby3.4 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 Port Chicago (historical)An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q7230540The 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 1659423. 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.