BlockBefore

Gowanda, New York

15 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1923 and the latest in 1986. It stands in Persia town. It lies in ZIP code area 14070. It stands on Thatcher Brook. The Survey maps it on the Gowanda quadrangle.

Gowanda within Cattaraugus County

Then and now

1923 to 1986

The same ground, surveyed 63 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.

Topographic sheet of Gowanda, surveyed 1986
Topographic sheet of Gowanda, surveyed 1923

On record in Gowanda

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 3 records

Topographic sheets covering this place

9 surveys from 15 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

93 since 2000

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 93 fires within 5 miles of Gowanda between 2000 and 2019, burning about 56 acres in total. 8 started naturally. 16 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/undetermined55
Arson/incendiarism16
Natural8
Debris and open burning7
Recreation and ceremony3
Power generation/transmission/distribution2
Smoking2

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
22 September 2005Naturalunder an acreFire Department of New Yorknot named
11 September 2019Arson/incendiarismunder an acreNew York Forest RangersSOUTH BRANCH FIRE
3 August 2018Naturalunder an acreFire Department of New YorkN/A
3 August 2016Naturalunder an acreFire Department of New YorkN/A
27 August 2005Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreFire Department of New Yorknot named
25 August 2004Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreFire Department of New Yorknot named
14 August 2001Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreFire Department of New Yorknot named
1 August 2008Arson/incendiarismunder an acreFire Department of New Yorknot named

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Cattaraugus County

Mines and quarries near this place

3 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 3 workings within 5 miles of Gowanda: 2 producers, 1 past producer. 2 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction. 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
Gernatt PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast ProducerSedimentary
Gernatt PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Vogtlis PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer

Every working recorded in Cattaraugus County

Storms near this place

21 since 1998

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Gowanda in 21 storm reports between 1998 and 2026: 11 thunderstorm wind, 6 flash flood, 3 flood, 1 hail. The reports record 1 death and 1 injury. 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
August 2009Flash FloodGowanda1 killed, 1 hurt, $45,000,000no account filed
May 2014Flash FloodGowanda$5,000,000no account filed
June 1998Flash FloodGowanda$2,500,000no account filed
July 2015Flash FloodGowanda$750,000no account filed
June 1998Thunderstorm WindGowanda$25,000no account filed
July 1998Thunderstorm WindGowanda$25,000no account filed
January 2017FloodGowanda$20,000Cattaraugus Creek at Gowanda crested at 10.70' at 6:00 PM EST on January 12. Flood stage is 10 feet.
December 2013FloodGowanda$20,000Cattaraugus Creek at Gowanda crested at 11.54 feet at 17:00 EST on 12/21/2013. Flood Stage is 10 feet.
July 2014Thunderstorm WindGowanda$15,000Law enforcement reported trees and wires down.
January 2012Thunderstorm WindGowanda$12,000Law enforcement reported trees and power lines down.
July 2020Thunderstorm WindGowanda$10,000Multiple reports of trees down around Gowanda.
October 2017Thunderstorm WindGowanda$10,000Law enforcement reported trees and wires downed by thunderstorm winds.
November 2017FloodGowanda$10,000Cattaraugus Creek at Gowanda crested at 11.0 feet at 12:30 AM on the 6th (Flood Stage is 10 feet).
September 2017Thunderstorm WindGowanda$10,000Law enforcement reported trees downed by thunderstorm winds.
July 2023Thunderstorm WindGowanda$5,000A tree was downed on a house and car.
May 2000HailGowanda$5,000no account filed
July 2020Thunderstorm WindGowanda$1,000Trees and wires were reported down.
July 2023Thunderstorm WindGowanda$500A tree was downed across Broadway Road.
March 2026Thunderstorm WindGowanda-Report from Facebook of tree falling on a house.
June 2025Flash FloodGowanda-Report of numerous streets in Gowanda with flooding, including Route 39.
September 2022Flash FloodGowanda-Flooding was reported on Route 39.

Every storm recorded in Cattaraugus 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
Perrysburg3.5 miles18
Dayton3.9 miles15
Versailles5.0 miles16
Persia5.4 miles15
Markhams5.7 miles18
West Perrysburg6.0 miles18
Wesley6.3 miles15
Cottage6.3 miles18

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 951430. 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.