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Bledsoe, Kentucky

25 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1887 and the latest in 1980. It stands in the Pine Mountain census division. It lies in ZIP code area 40810. It stands on Reuben Branch. The Survey maps it on the Bledsoe quadrangle. It stands 1,417 feet above sea level.

Bledsoe within Harlan County

On record in Bledsoe

Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.

On the National Register 1 record

Topographic sheets covering this place

12 surveys from 25 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

124 since 1997

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 124 fires within 5 miles of Bledsoe between 1997 and 2019, burning about 6,231 acres in total. None started naturally. 22 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
Debris and open burning52
Missing data/not specified/undetermined39
Arson/incendiarism22
Recreation and ceremony6
Misuse of fire by a minor3
Equipment and vehicle use2

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
24 September 2008Debris and open burning75 acresKentucky Division of Forestrynot named
22 September 2007Debris and open burning8.0 acresKentucky Division of Forestrynot named
14 September 2010Debris and open burning1.0 acresKentucky Division of ForestryBUCK HOLLOW FIRE
7 May 2005Missing data/not specified/undetermined55 acresKentucky Division of Forestrynot named
10 May 2019Arson/incendiarism5.0 acresKentucky Division of ForestryDANIELS ROAD
1 May 2000Missing data/not specified/undetermined84 acresKentucky Division of Forestrynot named
9 April 2009Debris and open burning50 acresKentucky Division of Forestrynot named
8 April 2002Debris and open burning20 acresKentucky Division of Forestrynot named

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Harlan County

Mines and quarries near this place

2 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 2 workings within 5 miles of Bledsoe: 1 producer, 1 prospect. 1 still produces. What was taken out: Stone, Crushed/Broken, Silica. 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
Harlan MineStone, Crushed/BrokenProducer
Pine Mountain Sandstone OutcropSilicaProspect

Every working recorded in Harlan County

Storms near this place

13 since 2002

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Bledsoe in 13 storm reports between 2002 and 2021: 9 thunderstorm wind, 2 hail, 1 flash flood, 1 heavy rain. 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.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
June 2016Flash FloodBledsoe$500,000Law enforcement reported several instances of significant flash flooding between Bledsoe and Baxter. Radar estimates and rain gauges indicated 3 to 6 inches of rain fell across Harlan County, with one cooperative observer 3 miles north of Harlan measuring 6.02 inches of rain. Considerable property damage was incurred, including that to between 75 to 100 homes as well as several fences and yards. Some homes in Bledsoe ended up with 3 to 4 feet of water inside of them. Roads and small bridges along U.S. Highway 421 were washed away as creeks spilled over their banks. Roads were further hampered by a rock/mud slide at U.S. Highway 119 and Sukey Ridge Rd outside of Baxter. The Kentucky State Emergency Operations Center received requests for assistance and resources from county officials as written declarations were also composed. American Red Cross teams were mobilized to Harlan County, providing food and water to residents.
June 2009Thunderstorm WindBledsoe$7,000Power lines were blown down.
February 2009Thunderstorm WindBledsoe$2,000Two trees were blown down by thunderstorm wind gusts on Highway 221 west.
May 2020Heavy RainBledsoe$1,000The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet reported a mudslide near Bledsoe, due to previous heavy rainfall, on U.S. Highway 421 near the base of Pine Mountain. This caused the highway to be blocked in both directions for over six hours, while operating on one lane only for over an additional 20 hours.
April 2011Thunderstorm WindBledsoe$1,000A tree was blown down across a road.
March 2008Thunderstorm WindBledsoe$1,000One tree was blown down on KY Highway 421.
August 2021Thunderstorm WindBledsoe$500A few trees were reported down in and around the Bledsoe Community, near the Leslie County line.
May 2017Thunderstorm WindBledsoe-A tree was blown down and onto US Hwy 421.
May 2016Thunderstorm WindBledsoe-Law enforcement officials reported numerous downed trees, large limbs, and power lines in a swath from Bledsoe to Smith.
June 2014Thunderstorm WindBledsoe-Trees and power lines were blown down.
February 2014Thunderstorm WindBledsoe-A tree was blown down and across Reubens Branch Road near the bottom of Pine Mountain.
May 2004HailBledsoe-no account filed
May 2002HailBledsoe-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Harlan 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
Baxter4.8 miles25
Gatun4.9 miles25
Keith4.9 miles25
Loyall5.0 miles25
Rosspoint5.0 miles25
Rio Vista5.5 miles25
Fresh Meadows5.6 miles25
Tremont5.7 miles24

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 BledsoeAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q4925860The 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 510783. 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.