Somerset, Colorado
21 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1938 and the latest in 2001. It stands in the Somerset census division. It lies in ZIP code area 81434. It stands on Elk Creek. The Survey maps it on the Somerset quadrangle. 55 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 6,030 feet above sea level.
Topographic sheets covering this place
12 surveys from 21 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.
- 1938 USGS Mount Gunnison quadrangle1:62500, 3 printings
- 1938 USGS Mt Gunnison quadrangle1:62500
- 1938 USGS Mt. Gunnison quadrangle1:48000
- 1945 USGS Mount Gunnison quadrangle1:62500
- 1945 USGS Mt. Gunnison quadrangle1:62500
- 1956 USGS Montrose quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1959 USGS Montrose quadrangle1:250000
- 1960 USGS Montrose quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1964 USGS Somerset quadrangle1:24000, 4 printings
- 1968 USGS Montrose quadrangle1:250000
- 1983 USGS Paonia quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
- 2001 USGS Somerset quadrangle1:24000
Fires near this place
46 since 1992Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 46 fires within 5 miles of Somerset between 1992 and 2020, burning about 59 acres in total. 43 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 |
|---|---|
| Natural | 43 |
| Debris and open burning | 2 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 September 2002 | Natural | under an acre | Southwest District, Montrose | BLUERIBBON |
| 25 September 1992 | Natural | under an acre | Southwest District, Montrose | OAL |
| 24 September 2018 | Natural | under an acre | Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests | MINNESOTA CREEK |
| 20 September 2017 | Natural | under an acre | Southwest District, Montrose | RESERVOIR |
| 12 September 1993 | Natural | under an acre | Southwest District, Montrose | JUMBO 2 |
| 6 August 2002 | Natural | under an acre | Southwest District, Montrose | HUBBARD |
| 30 August 2003 | Natural | under an acre | Southwest District, Montrose | RED TOP 2 |
| 22 August 2000 | Natural | under an acre | Southwest District, Montrose | REDTOP |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
6 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 6 workings within 5 miles of Somerset: 5 past producers, 1 producer. 1 still produces. What was taken out: Gold, Lead, Silver, Zinc, Copper, Lead, Silver, Zinc, Zinc, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Axelson Mine | Gold, Copper, Lead, Silver, Zinc | Past Producer | ||
| Clark Mine | Gold, Zinc, Silver | Past Producer | ||
| Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Hubbard Mine | Gold, Zinc, Lead, Silver | Past Producer | ||
| Hawknest Mine | Gold, Lead, Silver, Zinc | Past Producer | ||
| Oliver Mine #1 | Gold, Lead, Silver, Zinc | Past Producer |
Storms near this place
3 since 1999Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Somerset in 3 storm reports between 1999 and 2023: 2 flood, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 2023 | Flood | Somerset | $500,000 | A culvert failed due to excess runoff along Colorado Highway 133 in Bear Creek, or near mile marker 16. |
| May 2023 | Flood | Somerset | $25,000 | Snowmelt produced a significant washout on National Forest System Road (NFSR) #711-Dry Fork of the Minnesota Creek road located at mile post 5.5 in the Paonia Ranger District. The road was not passable and remained closed. |
| August 1999 | Flash Flood | Somerset | - | no account filed |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harry Parker Place | 8.7 miles | 14 | |
| Patterson Place | 13.2 miles | 14 | |
| Marble | 18.0 miles | 13 | |
| Floresta | 19.3 miles | 26 | |
| Irwin | 20.1 miles | 26 | |
| Ruby | 20.3 miles | 26 | |
| Crystal | 21.6 miles | 17 | |
| Pittsburg | 21.7 miles | 27 |
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 Somerset | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q3475644 | The 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 186369. 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.
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.











