BlockBefore

Valley Wells, California

24 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1915 and the latest in 1993. It stands in the Lone Pine census division. It lies in ZIP code area 92328. The Survey maps it on the Trona East quadrangle. It stands 1,749 feet above sea level.

Valley Wells within Inyo County

Then and now

1915 to 1993

The same ground, surveyed 78 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.

Topographic sheet of Valley Wells, surveyed 1993
Topographic sheet of Valley Wells, surveyed 1915

Topographic sheets covering this place

10 surveys from 24 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

19 since 2003

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 19 fires within 5 miles of Valley Wells between 2003 and 2020, burning about 10,372 acres in total. None started naturally. None was 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/undetermined12
Debris and open burning4
Misuse of fire by a minor1
Recreation and ceremony1
Equipment and vehicle 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
26 August 2006Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named
21 August 2009Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresCalifornia Desert DistrictHORSE
20 August 2020Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresSan Bernardino Unitnot named
18 July 2005Equipment and vehicle use10,350 acresCalifornia Desert DistrictCHINA LAKE
9 June 2009Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named
2 June 2003Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreCalifornia Desert DistrictFALLS
1 June 2003Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreCalifornia Desert DistrictCHRISTMAS
5 May 2010Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreCalifornia Desert DistrictCORRAL FIRE

Every fire recorded in Inyo County

Mines and quarries near this place

10 of 18 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 18 workings within 5 miles of Valley Wells: 8 past producers, 4 occurrences, 3 producers, 2 prospects. 4 still produce. What was taken out: Gold, Lead, Copper, Salt. 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
Copper Claim GroupCopper, Lead, SilverOccurrence
Copper QueenCopper, Gold, Lead, Silver, ZincPast ProducerReplacement
Copper QueenLead, Copper, Gold, Silver, ZincPast Producer
Lillie MineManganeseProspect1937
OphirLead, Zinc, Silver, Gold, CopperPast ProducerGalena, Lead
Ophir MineLead, Silver, Zinc, Copper, GoldPast Producer
Pacific Salt & Chemical Co.SaltProducer
Searles Lake DepositSodium, Salt, Potassium, Potash, Boron-Borates, Tungsten, LithiumPlant1862, 1873
Slate RangeSilver, LeadProducer
Stockwell MineGold, Silver, Lead, CopperPast Producer1897

Every working recorded in Inyo 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
Reilly (historical)12.5 miles25
Ballarat16.2 miles26
Millspaugh16.5 miles25
Millspaugh (historical)16.5 miles25
Junction Ranch19.5 miles25
Panamint23.6 miles27
Linnie28.4 miles23
Pearsonville28.7 miles23

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 Valley WellsAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q2883098The 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 1661620. 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.