Alva, Wyoming
12 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1901 and the latest in 1984. It stands in the Hulett census division. It lies in ZIP code area 82711. It stands on Lame Jones Creek. The Survey maps it on the Alva quadrangle. It stands 3,993 feet above sea level.
Topographic sheets covering this place
8 surveys from 12 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.
- 1901 USGS Aladdin quadrangle1:125000
- 1903 USGS Aladdin quadrangle1:125000, 3 printings
- 1954 USGS Gillette quadrangle1:250000
- 1955 USGS Gillette quadrangle1:250000
- 1958 USGS Gillette quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1962 USGS Gillette quadrangle1:250000
- 1979 USGS Devils Tower quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
- 1984 USGS Alva quadrangle1:24000
Fires near this place
34 since 1992Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 34 fires within 5 miles of Alva between 1992 and 2019, burning about 2,172 acres in total. 28 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 | 28 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 4 |
| Debris and open burning | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 September 2019 | Natural | under an acre | Black Hills National Forest | WOOD |
| 13 September 2006 | Natural | 16 acres | Black Hills National Forest | EAST CREEK |
| 12 September 2006 | Natural | under an acre | Black Hills National Forest | LUCKY |
| 1 September 2000 | Natural | under an acre | Black Hills National Forest | 830 |
| 8 August 2011 | Natural | 1.0 acres | Black Hills National Forest | WHITE SLIDE |
| 26 August 2016 | Natural | under an acre | Black Hills National Forest | SNYDER |
| 20 August 2003 | Natural | 3.0 acres | New Castle Field Office | PINNACLE |
| 20 August 1996 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Wyoming State Forestry | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
2 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 2 workings within 5 miles of Alva: 1 producer, 1 unknown. 1 still produces. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Gypsum-Anhydrite. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Driskell Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Hulett | Gypsum-Anhydrite | Unknown |
Storms near this place
27 since 2000Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Alva in 27 storm reports between 2000 and 2024: 19 hail, 6 thunderstorm wind, 2 tornado. The reports record 2 injuries. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 2009 | Tornado (EF2) | Alva | 2 hurt, $300,000 | A large tornado touched down west of Cook Lake and tracked east-southeastward across the Bear Lodge Mountains, dissipating west of Wyoming Highway 111. The tornado downed about 4000 acres of Ponderosa pine trees, destroyed two metal shop buildings and a large barn at a ranch, and severely damaged a house and mobile home. Two people in the residences received very minor injuries. |
| July 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alva | $10,000 | The combination of hail and wind caused minor damage at Cook Lake. |
| August 2024 | Tornado (EF1) | Alva | - | A tornado developed over the Bear Lodge Mountains, about 8 miles south of Alva, and tracked east-southeast for about two and a half miles. Numerous pine trees were either uprooted or snapped in half along its path. The estimated damage width was over a quarter mile in some areas, although some of the damage on the southern edge of the tornado was more consistent with straight line winds. No damage to property was noted. The tornado was on the ground for approximately 10 minutes with a speed of about 15 to 20 mph. The tornado was rated as an EF-1 with estimated winds up to 110 mph. |
| May 2023 | Hail | Alva | - | A few stones near golf ball size. |
| June 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alva | - | Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph. |
| August 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alva | - | Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph. |
| July 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alva | - | Several eight inch trees limbs were broken off trees. |
| May 2023 | Hail | Alva | - | no account filed |
| July 2020 | Hail | Alva | - | no account filed |
| May 2018 | Hail | Alva | - | no account filed |
| June 2015 | Hail | Alva | - | no account filed |
| July 2013 | Hail | Alva | - | no account filed |
| July 2013 | Hail | Alva | - | no account filed |
| July 2013 | Hail | Alva | - | no account filed |
| June 2012 | Hail | Alva | - | no account filed |
| July 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alva | - | no account filed |
| May 2010 | Hail | Alva | - | no account filed |
| August 2010 | Hail | Alva | - | no account filed |
| August 2010 | Hail | Alva | - | no account filed |
| July 2009 | Hail | Alva | - | no account filed |
| July 2009 | Hail | Alva | - | no account filed |
| August 2008 | Hail | Alva | - | no account filed |
| August 2008 | Hail | Alva | - | no account filed |
| August 2006 | Hail | Alva | - | no account filed |
| July 2002 | Hail | Alva | - | no account filed |
| July 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Alva | - | no account filed |
| July 2000 | Hail | Alva | - | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hulett | 8.5 miles | 12 | |
| Mona | 8.6 miles | 14 | |
| Seely | 12.3 miles | 12 | |
| Farrall | 12.4 miles | 12 | |
| Aladdin | 14.2 miles | 15 | |
| Devils Tower | 15.4 miles | 13 | |
| Carlile Junction | 18.6 miles | 13 | |
| Colony | 19.4 miles | 15 |
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 Alva | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q4737610 | 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 1597735. 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.







