BlockBefore

West Baker, California

23 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1915 and the latest in 1976. It stands in the East Kern census division. The Survey maps it on the Boron quadrangle. It stands 2,447 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.

West Baker within Kern County

Then and now

1915 to 1976

The same ground, surveyed 61 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.

Topographic sheet of West Baker (historical), surveyed 1976
Topographic sheet of West Baker (historical), surveyed 1915

Topographic sheets covering this place

10 surveys from 23 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

14 since 2005

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 14 fires within 5 miles of West Baker (historical) between 2005 and 2007, burning about 4 acres in total. None started naturally. 2 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/undetermined9
Arson/incendiarism2
Smoking1
Misuse of fire by a minor1
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
5 September 2005Equipment and vehicle useunder an acreCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named
5 August 2005Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named
23 August 2005Arson/incendiarismunder an acreCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named
7 July 2007Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named
5 July 2006Misuse of fire by a minor1.0 acresCalifornia Desert DistrictUNNAMED FIRE 1136
30 July 2005Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreCalifornia Department of Forestry & Fire Protectionnot named
13 July 2006Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreCalifornia Desert DistrictUNNAMED FIRE 1117
26 June 2005Missing 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 Kern County

Mines and quarries near this place

10 of 23 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 23 workings within 5 miles of West Baker (historical): 11 past producers, 8 prospects, 2 producers, 1 unknown. 2 still produce. What was taken out: Boron-Borates, Uranium, Platinum, Feldspar. 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
Boron MinePlatinumPast Producer
Kramer Borate DepositBoron-Borates, Antimony, Bentonite, ArsenicProducer1913, 1927
Unnamed Feldspar OccurrenceFeldsparUnknown
Unnamed QuarryPumicePast Producer
BoronUraniumOccurrence
Vanuray ProspectUraniumPast Producer
Baker Mine and MillBoron-BoratesPast Producer
Balling IiBoron-BoratesProspect
Four Corners 2Boron-BoratesProspect
Jenifer MineBoron-BoratesPast Producer

Every working recorded in Kern 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
Baker1.4 miles23
Desert Lake2.9 miles23
Boron3.8 miles19
Silt4.2 miles19
Rich5.0 miles19
Aerial Acres6.0 miles28
North Muroc (historical)7.2 miles28
North Edwards7.6 miles28

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 West Baker (historical)An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q7984373The 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 1693364. 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.