Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. 14 historic topographic surveys show this location, the earliest from 1904.
“Elster Building is a historic commercial building located at the corner of California State Route 190 and Tule River Dr. in Springville, California.”
Wikipedia article C. A. Elster Building, CC BY-SA 4.0.
One of 35 National Register listings published here for Tulare County · listed in 1982 · category: Building.
Sources: the Wikipedia article · the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 221 fires within 5 miles of C. A. Elster Building between 1992 and 2020, burning about 6,084 acres in total. 7 started naturally. 35 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 |
|---|---|
| Equipment and vehicle use | 89 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 66 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 35 |
| Debris and open burning | 12 |
| Natural | 7 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 5 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 4 |
| Fireworks | 1 |
| Smoking | 1 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 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 1993 | Arson/incendiarism | 2.0 acres | Tulare Unit | PLEASANT |
| 6 September 2007 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1.0 acres | Tulare Unit | FRAZIER - F#160 |
| 5 September 2002 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1.0 acres | Tulare Unit | ROADRUNNER |
| 5 September 1992 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Tulare Unit | WILSON |
| 30 September 1999 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Tulare Unit | SEBESTIAN |
| 3 September 1998 | Natural | 90 acres | Tulare Unit | YOUNG |
| 3 September 1997 | Natural | 3.0 acres | Tulare Unit | BLACK |
| 28 September 1993 | Arson/incendiarism | 2.0 acres | Tulare Unit | ROCK |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 19 workings within 5 miles of C. A. Elster Building: 7 occurrences, 5 prospects, 3 past producers, 2 producers. 2 still produce. What was taken out: Tungsten, Granite, Manganese, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barber No. 2 | Copper, Gold | Occurrence | Vein | |
| Barber No. 2 | Copper, Gold | Unknown | ||
| Frazier Valley | Asbestos | Unknown | ||
| Springville Borrow Pit | Granite, Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Tompkins Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Unnamed Prospects | Magnesite | Prospect | ||
| Freitas Claim | Uranium | Prospect | ||
| O'Kelley Deposit | Manganese | Occurrence | ||
| O'Kelly Prospect | Manganese | Occurrence | ||
| Sequoia Ranch | Uranium | Prospect |
Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Springville, the town this property stands in, in 24 storm reports between 1997 and 2025: 17 flood, 3 wildfire, 2 heavy rain, 1 flash flood. The reports record 2 deaths. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 1998 | Flood | Springville | 2 killed | In trying to cross the Tule River in the mountains of Tulare County, an elderly couple's car was swept downstream off of a 100-foot low-water crossing. The river was running at a higher than normal level of 5 feet deep due to recent rains in Central California. |
| September 1997 | Wildfire | Springville | $940,000 | Coffee Wildfire was caused from a vehicle fire. It reached a size of 2470 acres within the Sequoia National Forest. |
| April 2006 | Flash Flood | Springville | $125,000 | no account filed |
| March 2013 | Flood | Springville | $5,000 | Road flooding was reported at Highway 190 and Success Valley Drive. |
| December 2025 | Flood | Springville | - | CHP reports flooding on SR 190 near Globe Dr. |
| January 2023 | Debris Flow | Springville | - | Tulare County Sheriffs reported a small rock slide on Pleasant Oak Dr. near the intersection with SR 190. |
| January 2023 | Flood | Springville | - | California Highway Patrol reported Globe Dr. over the Tulare River Bridge in Springville was closed due to flooding. |
| February 2023 | Flood | Springville | - | California Highway Patrol reported near Lake Success on Success Valley Dr. |
| March 2023 | Flood | Springville | - | California Highway Patrol reported eastbound SR 190 flooded west of Pleasant Oak Dr. |
| March 2023 | Flood | Springville | - | Video posted on Twitter showing flooding in Springville. |
| March 2023 | Flood | Springville | - | California Highway Patrol reported Rio Vista Dr. was washed out near Cow Mountain Rd. |
| March 2023 | Flood | Springville | - | California Highway Patrol reported SR 190 flooded at Coffee Camp. |
| March 2023 | Flood | Springville | - | Video posted on Facebook showing Globe Dr. flooded by the Tule River in Springville. |
| March 2023 | Flood | Springville | - | Image shown on Twitter showing the River Island Country Club in Springville flooded. |
| March 2023 | Flood | Springville | - | A social media video was posted of a water rescue on the Tule River in Springville. |
| March 2023 | Flood | Springville | - | California Highway Patrol reported a landslide blocking the eastbound lanes of SR 190 at Pleasant Oak Dr. |
| December 2022 | Flood | Springville | - | California Highway Patrol reported a large rock washed up on the roadway just west of the intersection of SR 190 and Rd. 320. |
| March 2019 | Flood | Springville | - | California Highway Patrol reported flooding at the intersection of State Route 190 and Pleasant Oaks Dr. 4SW Springville. |
| March 2018 | Flood | Springville | - | California Highway Patrol reported Flash Flooding and a mudslide on State Route 190 east of Springville at the Powerhouse Bridge. About 3 feet of water covered the bridge. |
| December 2016 | Flood | Springville | - | California Highway Patrol reported boulders blocking the roadway at Avenue 176 and Road 320 just east of State Route 190 from road flooding. |
| July 2003 | Wildfire | Springville | - | The Frazier Fire was fought by California Division of Forestry and burned 750 acres. Its cause and cost is unknown but no structures were lost nor did any fatalities occur. |
| July 2000 | Wildfire | Springville | - | The Edison wildfire began on July 31st from an unknown cause and was contained the next day (August 1st) after burning 150 acres. No structures were lost and the cost to contain was unreported. |
| June 1998 | Heavy Rain | Springville | - | no account filed |
| February 1998 | Heavy Rain | Springville | - | no account filed |
United 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.
| National Archives record | The nomination case file for reference 82002279 in Record Group 79. |
| Wikipedia article | Community-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA. |
| Tulare County | All 35 listed properties in this county. |
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