BlockBefore

Vails Gate, New York

35 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1902 and the latest in 1994. It stands in New Windsor town. It lies in ZIP code area 12553. It stands on Silver Stream. The Survey maps it on the Cornwall-on-Hudson quadrangle.

Vails Gate within Orange County

Then and now

1902 to 1994

The same ground, surveyed 92 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.

Topographic sheet of Vails Gate, surveyed 1994
Topographic sheet of Vails Gate, surveyed 1902

Compare 1902 against another survey:

On record in Vails Gate

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 2 records

Topographic sheets covering this place

13 surveys from 35 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

660 since 1993

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 660 fires within 5 miles of Vails Gate between 1993 and 2020, burning about 1,138 acres in total. 33 started naturally. 61 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/undetermined412
Arson/incendiarism61
Smoking42
Recreation and ceremony37
Natural33
Equipment and vehicle use29
Debris and open burning28
Power generation/transmission/distribution6
Fireworks5
Misuse of fire by a minor4
Other causes2
Railroad operations and maintenance1

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
9 September 2016Recreation and ceremonyunder an acreFire Department of New YorkN/A
8 September 2016Recreation and ceremony3.8 acresFire Department of New YorkN/A
8 September 2015Arson/incendiarismunder an acreFire Department of New YorkNA
8 September 2005Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreFire Department of New Yorknot named
7 September 2015Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreFire Department of New YorkN/A
7 September 2009Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreFire Department of New Yorknot named
6 September 2005Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreFire Department of New Yorknot named
6 September 2004Arson/incendiarism2.5 acresFire Department of New Yorknot named

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Orange County

Mines and quarries near this place

10 of 11 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 11 workings within 5 miles of Vails Gate: 10 past producers, 1 producer. 1 still produces. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Clay, Stone, Iron. 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
Townsend Canterbury MineIronPast ProducerResidual
Granitic Gneiss Rock QuarryStonePast Producer
Granitic Gneiss Rock Quarry No. Hk-021StonePast ProducerGneiss, Granite
Clay Pit No. Hk-020ClayPast ProducerClay
Clay Pit No. Hk-020ClayPast Producer
Clay Pits No. Hk-018ClayPast ProducerClay
Clay Pits No. Hk-018ClayPast Producer
Moodna PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast ProducerSedimentary
Moodna PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Plum Point PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer

Every working recorded in Orange County

Storms near this place

11 since 2011

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Vails Gate in 11 storm reports between 2011 and 2023: 6 thunderstorm wind, 3 hail, 1 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.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
June 2017Thunderstorm WindVails Gate$10,000A tree fell onto a house on South Jacqueline Street in Firthcliffe Heights.
July 2011Thunderstorm WindVails Gate$10,000Multiple large trees were reported down near Vails Gate.
June 2017Thunderstorm WindVails Gate$5,000A tree was reported down on a vehicle in Vails Gate on Route 32 south of the 5 corners intersection.
September 2023Thunderstorm WindVails Gate$3,000Tree down on wires at Old Mill Street in Firthcliffe NY.
August 2018Thunderstorm WindVails Gate$2,000Power lines reported down.
July 2023Flash FloodVails Gate-Cornwall emergency management reporting numerous flooded roadways, water rescues, and a few mudslides.
June 2017Thunderstorm WindVails Gate-A microburst occurred in Cornwall, downing several large hardwood trees, some falling on power lines, a house and a shed. The microburst was confined to an area bounded by Jacquelin Street, Briarcliff Place, Mill Street and Bede Terrace. One tree was sheared off just above the ground. Wind speeds were estimated to be between 86-96 mph with the microburst, with a maximum path width of 1/4 mile and a path length of one mile.
August 2011FloodVails Gate-Waters from the Moodna Creek washed away the bridge at Forge Hill Rd. in New Windsor, which resulted in the indefinite closure of the road. A vehicle parked on Old Forge Hill Rd. also near Moodna Creek slid into the creek after rising water eroded the surrounding area.
July 2011HailVails Gate-Penny size hail was reported in Firthcliffe.
May 2012HailVails Gate-no account filed
July 2011HailVails Gate-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Orange 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
Firthcliffe Heights0.4 miles35
Vails Gate Junction0.5 miles35
Butter Hill Estates1.2 miles35
Firthcliffe1.2 miles35
Orrs Mill1.4 miles35
Meadowbrook1.4 miles35
Windsor Crest1.5 miles35
West Cornwall1.7 miles35

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 968340. 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.