RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of California >> Nevada County >> Alta Sierra >> Genealogy HelperIndex...










Learn About
The Commemorative
Quarter for
California

The Commemorative Quarter for California





Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

We have a couple of goals for our Gazetteer:

  • That it be a tool which helps us with planning our trips.
  • We're trying to shape our Gazetteer as a tool to help us understand the community in which our ancestors lived, the community that was part of their daily lives.
  • On our trips, we try to visit those places where our ancestors left their footprints.

By learning about Alta Sierra (and the surrounding area) during the time that our ancestors lived, we hope to have a better understanding of both their community and its relationship to their lifes. We hope that this tool helps to give us an insight into their world.

As we add data and organize our Gazetteer to help with our family research, we will be adding to this our Genealogical Helper for Alta Sierra. While we don't have information that is specific to any given person or family, we intend to expand our understanding about where and how people lived.

Neighboring Counties ...

When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring counties.

For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the west. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the north.

So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties instead of the county in which they lived:  their home county contained property and probate records; the county to the west contained birth and death records; the county to the north contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.

If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.

Alta Sierra is located in Nevada County.

To see how the shape of California's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Nevada County: Placer, Sierra, Yuba & Washoe (NV).

Below are the counties that are near Alta Sierra. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Alta Sierra:

  • Nevada County     (The home county of Alta Sierra)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alta Sierra, with the one closest to Alta Sierra listed first.
    • Chicago Park
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Union Hill
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Hill
      • Union Hill is located in Nevada County
    • Cedar Ridge
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Grass Valley
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • The Oaks
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Oaks
      • The Oaks is located in Nevada County
    • Glenbrook
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenbrook
      • Glenbrook is located in Nevada County
    • Spring Hill
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Hill
      • Spring Hill is located in Nevada County
    • Bitney Corner
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bitney Corner
      • Bitney Corner is located in Nevada County
    • Gold Flat
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gold Flat have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gold Flat
      • Gold Flat is located in Nevada County
    • Rough and Ready
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Lake of the Pines
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake of the Pines have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake of the Pines
      • Lake of the Pines is located in Nevada County
    • Nevada City
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Newtown
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newtown
      • Newtown is located in Nevada County
  • Butte County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alta Sierra, with the one closest to Alta Sierra listed first.
    • Bangor
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Clipper Mills
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Oroleve
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oroleve
      • Oroleve is located in Butte County
    • Evansville ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Evansville. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evansville
      • Evansville is located in Butte County
    • Forbestown
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Honcut
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Robinson Mill
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Robinson Mill
      • Robinson Mill is located in Butte County
  • El Dorado County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alta Sierra, with the one closest to Alta Sierra listed first.
    • Cool
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Greenwood
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Georgetown
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Fornis
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fornis
      • Fornis is located in El Dorado County
    • Pilot Hill
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Garden Valley
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Lotus
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Coloma
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Quintette
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quintette
      • Quintette is located in El Dorado County
    • Salmon Falls ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Salmon Falls have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salmon Falls
      • Salmon Falls is located in El Dorado County
    • Equestrian Village
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Equestrian Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Equestrian Village
      • Equestrian Village is located in El Dorado County
    • Jayhawk
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jayhawk
      • Jayhawk is located in El Dorado County
    • Summit Village
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Summit Village
      • Summit Village is located in El Dorado County
  • Placer County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alta Sierra, with the one closest to Alta Sierra listed first.
    • Chicago Park ‑ Historic
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Chicago Park. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chicago Park
      • Chicago Park is located in Placer County
    • Colfax
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Weimar
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Secret Town
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Secret Town have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Secret Town
      • Secret Town is located in Placer County
    • Gold Run
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Iowa Hill
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Applegate
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Meadow Vista
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Dutch Flat
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Clipper Gap
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clipper Gap
      • Clipper Gap is located in Placer County
    • Yankee Jims
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Yankee Jims have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yankee Jims
      • Yankee Jims is located in Placer County
    • Alta
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Bowman
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
  • Sacramento County
    • Mormon Island ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Mormon Island. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mormon Island
      • Mormon Island is located in Sacramento County
  • Shasta County
    • Bear Valley ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bear Valley. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bear Valley
      • Bear Valley is located in Shasta County
  • Sierra County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alta Sierra, with the one closest to Alta Sierra listed first.
    • Alleghany
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Forest
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forest
      • Forest is located in Sierra County
    • Brandy City ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brandy City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brandy City
      • Brandy City is located in Sierra County
    • Goodyears Bar
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
  • Sutter County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alta Sierra, with the one closest to Alta Sierra listed first.
    • Rio Oso
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Bogue
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bogue
      • Bogue is located in Sutter County
    • Yuba City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Yuba County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Alta Sierra, with the one closest to Alta Sierra listed first.
    • Smartville
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Timbuctoo ‑ Historic
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Timbuctoo
      • Timbuctoo is located in Yuba County
    • Dobbins
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Oregon House
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Bullards Bar ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bullards Bar have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bullards Bar
      • Bullards Bar is located in Yuba County
    • Foster Bar ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Foster Bar have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Foster Bar
      • Foster Bar is located in Yuba County
    • Garden Valley ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Garden Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garden Valley
      • Garden Valley is located in Yuba County
    • Browns Valley
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Camptonville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Wheatland
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Loma Rica
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loma Rica
      • Loma Rica is located in Yuba County
    • Iowa City
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Iowa City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iowa City
      • Iowa City is located in Yuba County
    • Dantoni
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dantoni
      • Dantoni is located in Yuba County

For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Alta Sierra, see our County-by-County Page for Alta Sierra.

Newspapers Published in Alta Sierra ...

An ongoing effort between the Library of Congress and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has resulted in the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP).

To share their results, the partnership has created the Chronicling America website. The goal of this partnership is to assemble a database about the current and historic newspapers of the United States. This includes a growing collection of scanned images from selected papers. All of it available to the public on their website.

Using information that we've taken from the Chronicling America website, we've identified 65 newspapers that have been published in the area around Alta Sierra.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Alta Sierra, there are papers which were published within 16 miles [25.7 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Alta Sierra.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites offer the information directly or else point to where you can find it. Their information is open to everyone.

To help you get started, the following links will take you to the pages that are relevant to Alta Sierra:

Cemeteries Near Alta Sierra ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Alta Sierra.

This is a new section and is likely to have errors. If you find an error, such as a missing cemetery or we have the wrong name, please let us know. If you know of them, we would also appreciate learning about previous or alternate names.

If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Alta Sierra covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Alta Sierra, with the one closest to Alta Sierra listed first.

  • Greenwood Memorial Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Greenwood Memorial Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Greenwood Memorial Cemetery
  • Elm Ridge Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Elm Ridge Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Elm Ridge Cemetery
  • Catholic Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Catholic Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Catholic Cemetery is located in Grass Valley.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Catholic Cemetery
  • St. Patricks Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Patricks Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Patricks Cemetery
  • Colfax Indian Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Colfax Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Colfax Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Colfax Cemetery
  • Rough & Ready Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rough & Ready Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rough & Ready Cemetery
  • Deer Creek Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Deer Creek Cemetery is located outside and to the east of Nevada City.
    • The Deer Creek Cemetery has also been known as:
    • New Odd Fellows Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Deer Creek Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2400769 <5>
  • Forest View Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Pine Grove Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Pioneer Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pioneer Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pioneer Cemetery
  • Iowa Hill Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Iowa Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Iowa Hill Cemetery
  • Continue List   (60 more) ...
    • Kneebone Family Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Lone Star Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lone Star Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lone Star Cemetery
    • Dutch Flat Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the Dutch Flat Cemetery is located in the vicinity of Alta
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Dutch Flat Cemetery

Nearby Communities in 1895 ...

We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.<6>

While we didn't find Alta Sierra in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Alta Sierra.

These communities are listed based on their distance from Alta Sierra, with the one closest to Alta Sierra listed first.

  • Chicago Park
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Kres
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kres have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kres
    • Kres is located in Nevada County
  • Union Hill
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Hill
    • Union Hill is located in Nevada County
  • Buena Vista ‑ Historic
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Buena Vista have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buena Vista
    • Buena Vista is located in Nevada County
  • Colfax
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Glenbrook
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glenbrook
    • Glenbrook is located in Nevada County
  • Wolf
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wolf have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wolf
    • Wolf is located in Nevada County
  • Rough and Ready
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Weimar
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Nevada City
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • You Bet ‑ Historic
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for You Bet have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for You Bet
    • You Bet is located in Nevada County
  • Gold Run
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Clipper Gap
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clipper Gap
      • Clipper Gap is located in Placer County
    • Yankee Jims
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Yankee Jims have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yankee Jims
      • Yankee Jims is located in Placer County
    • Dutch Flat
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)

We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Alta Sierra. See our List of 1890's Communities around Alta Sierra.

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Alta Sierra. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for Nevada County: www.new.mynevadacounty.com/

The official website for State of California: https://www.ca.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<2>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<3>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<4>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Alta Sierra) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Alta Sierra. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 39.1416, Longitude: -121.0538       In this case, the coordinates for Alta Sierra have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<5>The Find-a-Grave website is an excellent research tool with information about a cemetery's location and interments. They also offer a forum for their members which can provide additional help. More information about Find-a-Grave can be found on their website: findagrave.com.
<6>We use the term 'Historic' broadly and it generally means that the community no longer exists. However, it can also mean that the community might still exist, but was significantly larger or had a more 'official' existence in the past than it does now. Unfortunately our sources of data have proven to be unreliable. If you can provide us with more specific information about Alta Sierra, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

Copyright 2024
All Rights Reserved

Thank you for visiting our website.

In closing, please keep in mind that we can not guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of the information on this website, so use with care. We encourage you to double-check the information that is critical to you.

If you've found an error or have additional information that you would like to share, please don't hesitate to write: Click here to contact us.

This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024