Thomas Mountain, California
38 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1901 and the latest in 1996. It stands in the Idyllwild census division. It lies in ZIP code area 92561. It stands on Pipe Creek. The Survey maps it on the Anza quadrangle.
Then and now
1901 to 1996The same ground, surveyed 95 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.


Compare 1901 against another survey:
Topographic sheets covering this place
15 surveys from 38 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.
- 1901 USGS San Jacinto quadrangle1:125000, 9 printings
- 1901 USGS Southern California Sheet No. 1 quadrangle1:250000, 6 printings
- 1904 USGS Southern California Sheet No. 1 quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1940 USGS Hemet Reservoir quadrangle1:62500
- 1942 USGS Hemet Reservoir quadrangle1:62500
- 1947 USGS Santa Ana quadrangle1:250000
- 1949 USGS Santa Ana quadrangle1:250000
- 1956 USGS Santa Ana quadrangle1:250000
- 1959 USGS Idyllwild quadrangle1:62500, 3 printings
- 1959 USGS Santa Ana quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1960 USGS Santa Ana quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1965 USGS Santa Ana quadrangle1:250000
- 1981 USGS Anza quadrangle1:24000, 3 printings
- 1984 USGS Palm Springs quadrangle1:100000, 3 printings
- 1996 USGS Anza quadrangle1:24000
Fires near this place
261 since 1992Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 261 fires within 5 miles of Thomas Mountain between 1992 and 2020, burning about 2,500 acres in total. 82 started naturally. 12 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 |
|---|---|
| Natural | 82 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 58 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 48 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 32 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 12 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 11 |
| Smoking | 6 |
| Debris and open burning | 4 |
| Other causes | 4 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 3 |
| Firearms and explosives use | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 September 2008 | Recreation and ceremony | under an acre | San Bernardino National Forest | GOFF |
| 7 September 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | California Desert District | MITCHELL |
| 7 September 2000 | Natural | under an acre | San Bernardino National Forest | HIDDEN |
| 7 September 2000 | Natural | under an acre | San Bernardino National Forest | THOMAS |
| 7 September 2000 | Natural | under an acre | San Bernardino National Forest | GARNER |
| 6 September 2010 | Recreation and ceremony | under an acre | San Bernardino National Forest | GOFF |
| 5 September 2020 | Recreation and ceremony | under an acre | San Bernardino National Forest | PEAK |
| 5 September 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | San Bernardino National Forest | MORRIS |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
10 of 17 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 17 workings within 5 miles of Thomas Mountain: 6 occurrences, 5 past producers, 5 prospects, 1 unknown. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Gold, Sand and Gravel, Construction, Gemstone, 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 | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Cat Mine | Uranium | Occurrence | ||
| Columbia Mine | Gemstone | Past Producer | ||
| Mica Prospect | Mica | Prospect | ||
| Whitlock Limestone Deposit | Limestone, General | Occurrence | ||
| Sand Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Unnamed Sand Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer | ||
| Big Jim Prospect | Gold | Prospect | ||
| Bismuth | Gold | Occurrence | ||
| Gold Shot Mine | Gold | Prospect | ||
| Golden Crown | Gold | Prospect |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anza | 4.7 miles | 38 | |
| Ribbonwood | 7.4 miles | 31 | |
| Spring Crest | 7.6 miles | 31 | |
| Cahuilla | 7.9 miles | 38 | |
| Mountain Center | 8.2 miles | 37 | |
| Alpine Village | 8.3 miles | 31 | |
| Pinyon Pines | 9.4 miles | 31 | |
| Idyllwild | 10.1 miles | 37 |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 1661564. 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.














