Ralston, California
33 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1891 and the latest in 2000. It stands in the Foresthill-Back Country census division. It lies near Long Canyon. The Survey maps it on the Michigan Bluff quadrangle. It stands 3,599 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.
Then and now
1891 to 2000The 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.


Compare 1891 against another survey:
Topographic sheets covering this place
13 surveys from 33 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.
- 1891 USGS Colfax quadrangle1:125000
- 1892 USGS Colfax quadrangle1:125000
- 1894 USGS Colfax quadrangle1:125000
- 1898 USGS Colfax quadrangle1:125000
- 1900 USGS Colfax quadrangle1:125000
- 1902 USGS Colfax quadrangle1:125000, 7 printings
- 1938 USGS Colfax quadrangle1:125000, 3 printings
- 1952 USGS Duncan Peak quadrangle1:62500, 2 printings
- 1952 USGS Michigan Bluff quadrangle1:24000, 7 printings
- 1958 USGS Chico quadrangle1:250000, 4 printings
- 1960 USGS Chico quadrangle1:250000
- 1977 USGS Truckee quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
- 2000 USGS Michigan Bluff quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
113 since 1992Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 113 fires within 5 miles of Ralston (historical) between 1992 and 2020, burning about 10,746 acres in total. 21 started naturally. 5 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 |
|---|---|
| Debris and open burning | 35 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 26 |
| Natural | 21 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 10 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 9 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 5 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 5 |
| Smoking | 1 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 September 1999 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Eldorado National Forest | RUBICON |
| 5 September 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 8,422 acres | Tahoe National Forest | RALSTON |
| 4 September 2002 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Eldorado National Forest | DUSTY |
| 3 September 2018 | Recreation and ceremony | 1,120 acres | Tahoe National Forest | NORTH |
| 3 September 2012 | Recreation and ceremony | under an acre | Eldorado National Forest | BOOT |
| 25 September 2011 | Natural | under an acre | Eldorado National Forest | DELLER |
| 25 September 2000 | Recreation and ceremony | under an acre | Tahoe National Forest | LITTLE OAK |
| 24 September 1993 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3.0 acres | Eldorado National Forest | DAD |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
10 of 129 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 129 workings within 5 miles of Ralston (historical): 61 unknowns, 38 occurrences, 24 past producers, 5 producers. 5 still produce. What was taken out: Gold, Chromium, Silver, Tungsten. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Bar | Gold, Lead | Past Producer | Galena, Gold, Pyrite | |
| Hills Armstrong Graphite Deposit | Graphite | Prospect | ||
| Michigan Bluff District | Gold, Platinum, Silver, Lead, Iron, Zinc, Copper, Indium | Past Producer | 1850 | |
| Unnamed Location | Sulfur | Occurrence | ||
| Volcanoville | Iron | Unknown | ||
| Volcanoville Deposit | Iron | Occurrence | ||
| Buckeye | Tungsten | Producer | ||
| Rubicon | Tungsten | Occurrence | ||
| Rubicon | Tungsten | Unknown | ||
| Chinaman's Chance | Gold, Silver | Past Producer |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan Bluff | 4.3 miles | 33 | |
| Zuver | 4.6 miles | 34 | |
| Four Acres | 6.0 miles | 33 | |
| Ramsey Crossing | 6.5 miles | 34 | |
| Bath (historical) | 6.6 miles | 33 | |
| Foresthill | 7.6 miles | 33 | |
| Last Chance | 7.8 miles | 29 | |
| Mayflower (historical) | 7.9 miles | 33 |
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 Q7288355 | 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 1701178. 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.












