BlockBefore

Somersville, California

29 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1896 and the latest in 1989. It stands in the Tassajara census division. It lies near Sidney Flat. The Survey maps it on the Antioch South quadrangle. It stands 741 feet above sea level.

Somersville within Contra Costa County

Then and now

1896 to 1989

The same ground, surveyed 93 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.

Topographic sheet of Somersville, surveyed 1989
Topographic sheet of Somersville, surveyed 1896

On record in Somersville

Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.

On the National Register within a mile 1 record

The National Register names another town for these. They stand within one mile of this settlement's coordinate.

Topographic sheets covering this place

10 surveys from 29 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

720 since 1992

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 720 fires within 5 miles of Somersville between 1992 and 2020, burning about 7,280 acres in total. None started naturally. 156 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/undetermined289
Arson/incendiarism156
Misuse of fire by a minor87
Equipment and vehicle use85
Smoking81
Debris and open burning16
Power generation/transmission/distribution5
Firearms and explosives use1

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 2020Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreSanta Clara Unitnot named
9 September 2019Misuse of fire by a minor3.0 acresSanta Clara Unitnot named
9 September 2019Arson/incendiarismunder an acreSanta Clara Unitnot named
9 September 2011Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresSanta Clara Unit2-JUN
9 September 2011Smokingunder an acreSanta Clara Unitnot named
8 September 2019Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreSanta Clara Unitnot named
8 September 2013Firearms and explosives use3,100 acresSanta Clara UnitMORGAN
7 September 2018Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot 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 51 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 51 workings within 5 miles of Somersville: 18 occurrences, 15 prospects, 11 past producers, 6 producers. 6 still produce. What was taken out: Silica, Mercury, Sand and Gravel, Construction, Asbestos. 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
Mount Zion ChromeChromiumOccurrenceChromite
Mount Zion Copper CompanyCopper, Silver, GoldOccurrence
Unnamed LocationSilica, Sand and Gravel, ConstructionPast ProducerSedimentary
White Diamond ClaimSilver, GoldPast Producer
White Diamond ClaimSilver, GoldOccurrence
Antioch Paving Co.Stone, Crushed/BrokenProducer
Harkinson Lime DepositCalciumProspect
Mt. Diablo Rock & Asphalt Co.Stone, Crushed/BrokenProspect
Mt. Diablo Rock and Asphalt Co.Stone, Crushed/BrokenOccurrence
Unity ? ClaimSilverOccurrence

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
Nortonville0.9 miles27
Stewartville1.1 miles29
West Hartley3.0 miles29
Los Medanos3.9 miles30
Clayton3.9 miles27
Empire (historical)4.2 miles30
Hooper (historical)4.4 miles30
Cornwall4.5 miles29

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 SomersvilleAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q7559935The 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 253910. 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.