BlockFrom the record
One of 35 National Register listings published here for Tulare County · listed in 1978 · category: Structure.
Sources: the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service
Moro Rock Stairway
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. 13 historic topographic surveys show this location, the earliest from 1903.
The listing
- What is counted as historic. The nomination lists 1 structure as contributing to the listing.
- Address. N of Three Rivers in Sequoia National Park, Three Rivers, 93262
- When was it listed? December 1978
- Category. structure
- Census division. Woodlake-Three Rivers
- Architect. Merel S. Sager
- National Register reference number. 78000283 - the number the National Park Service assigned this property when it was listed, and the key its nomination file is catalogued under at the National Archives.
Then and now
1903 to 1993The ground this property stands on, surveyed 90 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.
Fires near this property
127 since 1992Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 127 fires within 5 miles of Moro Rock Stairway between 1992 and 2020, burning about 4,176 acres in total. 44 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 |
|---|---|
| Natural | 44 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 35 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 15 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 13 |
| Debris and open burning | 8 |
| Smoking | 5 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 3 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 2 |
| Fireworks | 1 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 September 2011 | Recreation and ceremony | under an acre | Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks | MARBLE |
| 6 September 1998 | Natural | under an acre | Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks | SEVENMILE |
| 5 September 1998 | Natural | under an acre | Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks | PANTHER |
| 4 September 2003 | Natural | 4.0 acres | Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks | BUCKEYE |
| 30 September 2016 | Recreation and ceremony | under an acre | Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks | WOVERTON 2 |
| 3 September 1998 | Natural | 1.0 acres | Central California District | CASE |
| 3 September 1994 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks | LODGEPOLE2 |
| 27 September 2003 | Natural | 1,297 acres | Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks | PARADISE 2 |
Mines and quarries near this property
6 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 6 workings within 5 miles of Moro Rock Stairway: 5 occurrences, 1 unknown. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Lead, Copper, Silver, Copper, Gold, Copper, Silver. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lucky Dog | Lead, Copper | Occurrence | ||
| Reid Group | Lead, Gold, Copper, Silver | Occurrence | ||
| Sequoia National | Mercury | Unknown | ||
| Sequoia National Park | Tungsten | Occurrence | Scheelite | |
| Lost Frenchman | Lead, Copper, Silver | Occurrence | ||
| Robin Hood | Lead, Copper, Silver | Occurrence |
Storms near this property
21 since 2001Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Three Rivers, the town this property stands in, in 21 storm reports between 2001 and 2025: 15 flood, 2 wildfire, 2 heavy rain, 1 flash flood. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 2003 | Wildfire | Three Rivers | $1,540,000 | The Paradise 2 Fire was lightning ignited at 2300 PST on September 25th and had previously been reported as part of the Kaweah-Kern Complex in September Stormdata. By the end of October this specific fire had consumed 1,298 acres at a cost of $1.54M. |
| January 2023 | Flood | Three Rivers | $1,000,000 | The Tulare County Emergency Manager reported that the town of Three Rivers was trapped behind flood waters moving over the egress route. This resulted in several emergency response personnel being trapped behind the flood waters who were in place to limit flood waters impact on structures. |
| October 2009 | Heavy Rain | Three Rivers | $5,000 | The California Highway Patrol reported power lines and poles downed due to heavy rain near the intersection of South Fork Dr and Blossom Dr near Three Rivers. |
| October 2025 | Flood | Three Rivers | - | CHP Reports rock slide at junction of Eastbound Route 198 and Horse Creek Campground. |
| January 2023 | Flood | Three Rivers | - | Public report of the roadway flooded and rock and mudslides on eastbound SR 198 near Dinely Rd. and Craig Branch Rd. |
| January 2023 | Flood | Three Rivers | - | California Highway Patrol reported the bridge flooded on N. Fork Dr. near SR 198. |
| January 2023 | Flood | Three Rivers | - | California Highway Patrol reported flooding on S. Fork Dr. at Heidi Dr. in Three Rivers. |
| March 2023 | Flood | Three Rivers | - | California Highway Patrol reported on SR 198 at Sierra Dr. |
| March 2023 | Flood | Three Rivers | - | California Highway Patrol reported flooding, rocks and debris on SR 198 east of Encina Ave. in Three Rivers. |
| March 2023 | Flood | Three Rivers | - | California Highway Patrol reported flooding on SR 198 west of Pierce Dr. |
| March 2023 | Flood | Three Rivers | - | California Highway Patrol reported SR 198 flooded in Three Rivers. |
| January 2017 | Flash Flood | Three Rivers | - | California Highway Patrol reports mud slide and boulders blocking Mineral King Road near Three Rivers. |
| January 2017 | Debris Flow | Three Rivers | - | California Highway Patrol report of mud, dirt, and rock partially blocking Mineral King Road and Highway 198 intersection near Hammond. Traffic was able to move around the obstruction. |
| January 2017 | Flood | Three Rivers | - | California Highway Patrol reported flooding on Highway 198 and water flowing over Airport Drive and Upper North Fork bridges in Three Rivers. |
| January 2017 | Flood | Three Rivers | - | Tulare County Official reported that the bridge at Kaweah River Drive was closed due to flooding northeast of Three Rivers. |
| January 2017 | Flood | Three Rivers | - | California Highway Patrol reported roadway flooding on Highway 198 and Craig Ranch Road northeast of Three Rivers. |
| February 2017 | Flood | Three Rivers | - | California Highway Patrol reported debris blocking roadway due to recent roadway flooding from heavy rain on Mineral King Road near Mitchel Ranch near Oak Grove. |
| April 2010 | Heavy Rain | Three Rivers | - | The rainfall for the 24 hour period was 2.09 inches. |
| November 2003 | Wildfire | Three Rivers | - | The Paradise 2 Fire was lightning ignited at 2300 PST on September 25th and had previously been reported as part of the Kaweah-Kern Complex in September Stormdata. By the first of November this specific fire had consumed 1,298 acres at a cost of $1.54M and accounted for in earlier months. |
| April 2006 | Flood | Three Rivers | - | no account filed |
| November 2001 | Flood | Three Rivers | - | no account filed |
Maps showing this location
13 surveysUnited States Geological Survey topographic sheets whose coverage includes this point. Matched by taking the coordinate the National Park Service records for this property, then testing that coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet.
- 1903 USGS Tehipite quadrangle1:125000
- 1905 USGS Tehipite quadrangle1:125000 - 8 printings
- 1948 USGS Fresno quadrangle1:250000
- 1955 USGS Fresno quadrangle1:250000
- 1956 USGS Fresno quadrangle1:250000
- 1956 USGS Giant Forest quadrangle1:62500 - 4 printings
- 1958 USGS Fresno quadrangle1:250000
- 1960 USGS Fresno quadrangle1:250000 - 2 printings
- 1962 USGS Fresno quadrangle1:250000 - 3 printings
- 1966 USGS Fresno quadrangle1:250000
- 1978 USGS Mount Whitney quadrangle1:100000
- 1987 USGS Giant Forest quadrangle1:24000
- 1993 USGS Giant Forest quadrangle1:24000
Listed places nearby
6 within 8 milesOther National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.
| Photograph | Property | Distance | Listed |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Squatter's Cabin | 1.2 miles | 1977 |
 | Giant Forest Lodge Historic District | 1.5 miles | 1978 |
 | Giant Forest Village-Camp Kaweah Historic District | 1.5 miles | 1978 |
 | Tharp's Log | 1.7 miles | 1977 |
 | Cattle Cabin | 2.0 miles | 1977 |
 | Generals' Highway Stone Bridges | 4.5 miles | 1978 |
Sources for this property
| National Archives record | The nomination case file for reference 78000283 in Record Group 79. |
| Tulare County | All 35 listed properties in this county. |
Provenance
- Listing record. National Park Service National Register of Historic Places, listed-properties dataset, current to 2026-05-22.
- Map join. Address geocoded through the United States Census geocoder, then tested against the published boundary of every sheet in the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection.
- How this page is made. Listing fields come from federal records; map-sheet coverage is a labelled coordinate-to-boundary calculation, not a source-field claim.
- 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.
- Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.