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Spruce, California

36 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1891 and the latest in 2000. It stands in the Colfax-Monumental Ridge census division. It lies in ZIP code area 95728. The Survey maps it on the Soda Springs quadrangle. It stands 6,558 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.

Spruce within Placer 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 Spruce (historical), surveyed 2000
Topographic sheet of Spruce (historical), surveyed 1891

Compare 1891 against another survey:

Topographic sheets covering this place

11 surveys from 36 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

142 since 1992

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 142 fires within 5 miles of Spruce (historical) between 1992 and 2020, burning about 268 acres in total. 63 started naturally. 3 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
Natural63
Recreation and ceremony30
Missing data/not specified/undetermined28
Debris and open burning10
Arson/incendiarism3
Equipment and vehicle use2
Railroad operations and maintenance2
Power generation/transmission/distribution1
Misuse of fire by a minor1
Smoking1
Fireworks1

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 2020Arson/incendiarism100 acresNevada-Yuba-Placer UnitSKI AREA BOREAL TRUCKEE_F
8 September 2020Arson/incendiarismunder an acreNevada-Yuba-Placer UnitWB I80 AND SODA SPRINGS T
7 September 2017Naturalunder an acreTahoe National ForestLONG
6 September 2017Naturalunder an acreTahoe National ForestNANCY FIRE
5 September 2016Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire ProtectionBOREAL
3 September 2018Recreation and ceremonyunder an acreTahoe National ForestHAMPSHIRE
28 September 2019Debris and open burningunder an acreNevada-Yuba-Placer UnitSODA
27 September 2015Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreTahoe National ForestEIGHTY

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Placer County

Mines and quarries near this place

10 of 13 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 13 workings within 5 miles of Spruce (historical): 7 occurrences, 4 past producers, 1 producer, 1 unknown. 1 still produces. What was taken out: Gold, Uranium. 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
Castle Rock LodesUraniumOccurrence
BelcherGoldOccurrence
BelcherGoldOccurrence
Belcher QtzGoldPast Producer
Bella QtzGoldPast Producer
Bonnie BellGoldPast ProducerGold
Gold RunGoldOccurrence
Johanna Qtz.GoldPast Producer
Meadow LakeGoldProducer
Meadow LakeGoldUnknown

Every working recorded in Placer 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
Troy1.8 miles36
Tamarack (historical)3.4 miles36
Rainbow4.3 miles37
Big Bend4.8 miles37
Donner5.1 miles33
The Cedars5.9 miles33
Cisco Grove5.9 miles37
Cisco6.3 miles37

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 Q7581380The 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 1701095. 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.