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Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

So far, we found very little information about Gold Lake. The little that we've found leads us believe that the community is historic.<1>

We've added Gold Lake to our Gazetteer with the hope that we can develop more information. If you can help us with Gold Lake, please Contact Us.

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 Gold Lake (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 Gold Lake. 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.

Name Variations for Gold Lake ...

When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might have occurred.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Gold Lake: Gold Lk.

If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.

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 southwest 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 south.

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 south 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.

Although our information shows that the community of Gold Lake is historic, it would have been located within present day Butte 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 Butte County: Colusa, Glenn, Plumas, Sutter, Tehama & Yuba.

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

  • Butte County     (The home county of Gold Lake)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gold Lake, with the one closest to Gold Lake listed first.
    • Merrimac
      (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Merrimac have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merrimac
      • Merrimac is located in Butte County
    • Big Bar
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Bar
      • Big Bar is located in Butte County
    • Pulga
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Big Bend
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Bend
      • Big Bend is located in Butte County
    • Berry Creek
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Concow
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Concow have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Concow
      • Concow is located in Butte County
    • Lumpkin ‑ Historic
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lumpkin have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lumpkin
      • Lumpkin is located in Butte County
    • Feather Falls
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Stirling City
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Magalia
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Paradise Pines
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paradise Pines
      • Paradise Pines is located in Butte County
    • Bidwell Bar ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bidwell Bar have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bidwell Bar
      • Bidwell Bar is located in Butte County
  • Nevada County
  • Plumas County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gold Lake, with the one closest to Gold Lake listed first.
    • Storrie
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Bucks Lake
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bucks Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bucks Lake
      • Bucks Lake is located in Plumas County
    • Tobin
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tobin have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tobin
      • Tobin is located in Plumas County
    • Belden
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Meadow Valley
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Rich Bar ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Rich Bar. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rich Bar
      • Rich Bar is located in Plumas County
    • Silver Creek ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silver Creek
      • Silver Creek is located in Plumas County
    • La Porte
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Little Grass Valley
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Grass Valley
      • Little Grass Valley is located in Plumas County
    • Spanish Ranch
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spanish Ranch have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spanish Ranch
      • Spanish Ranch is located in Plumas County
    • Twain
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Caribou
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caribou
      • Caribou is located in Plumas County
  • Sierra County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gold Lake, with the one closest to Gold Lake listed first.
    • Queen City
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Queen City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Queen City
      • Queen City is located in Sierra County
    • Brandy City ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • 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
    • Poker Flat
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poker Flat
      • Poker Flat is located in Sierra County
    • Goodyears Bar
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Downieville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Yuba County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Gold Lake, with the one closest to Gold Lake listed first.
    • Strawberry Valley
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Challenge
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Brownsville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Rackerby
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Depot Hill ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Depot Hill. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Depot Hill
      • Depot Hill is located in Yuba County
    • Foster Bar ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • 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
    • Bullards Bar ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • 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
    • Camptonville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Garden Valley ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • 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
    • Dobbins
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Oregon House
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)

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

Newspapers Published in Gold Lake ...

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 33 newspapers that have been published in the area around Gold Lake.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Gold Lake, there are papers which were published within 22 miles [35.4 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Gold Lake.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we begin with 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 Gold Lake:

Cemeteries Near Gold Lake ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Gold Lake.

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 Gold Lake covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Clarks Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Clarks Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Clarks Cemetery
  • Indian Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Indian Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Indian Cemetery
  • Cherokee Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Coutolenc Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Coutolenc Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Coutolenc Cemetery
  • Clear Creek Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Clear Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Clear Creek Cemetery
  • Oregon City Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Meadow Valley Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Centerville Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Centerville Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Centerville Cemetery
  • Strawberry Valley Cemetery
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
  • La Porte Cemetery
    (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
  • Inskip Pioneer Cemetery
    (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Inskip Pioneer Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Inskip Pioneer Cemetery
  • Nicholl Cemetery
    (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Nicholl Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Nicholl Cemetery
  • Continue List   (42 more) ...
    • Pioneer Cemetery
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • 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
    • Thompson Flat Cemetery
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Thompson Flat Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Thompson Flat Cemetery
    • Oak Grove Cemetery
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)

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.

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

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

  • Merrimac
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Merrimac have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merrimac
    • Merrimac is located in Butte County
  • Brush Creek
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brush Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brush Creek
    • Brush Creek is located in Butte County
  • Big Bend
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Bend
    • Big Bend is located in Butte County
  • Yankee Hill
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Yankee Hill have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yankee Hill
    • Yankee Hill is located in Butte County
  • Lumpkin ‑ Historic
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lumpkin have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lumpkin
    • Lumpkin is located in Butte County
  • Cherokee ‑ Historic
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cherokee have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherokee
    • Cherokee is located in Butte County
  • Magalia
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
  • Lovelock
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lovelock have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lovelock
    • Lovelock is located in Butte County
  • Pentz
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pentz have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pentz
    • Pentz is located in Butte County
  • Enterprise ‑ Historic
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Enterprise have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Enterprise
    • Enterprise is located in Butte County
  • Meadow Valley
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Nimshew
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nimshew
    • Nimshew is located in Butte County
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Paradise
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Powellton
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Powellton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powellton
      • Powellton is located in Butte County
    • Forbestown
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)

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

The official website for Butte County: www.buttecounty.net/

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

Footnotes ...

<1>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 Gold Lake, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<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>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<4>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.
<5>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 from Point A (ie- Gold Lake) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Gold Lake. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 39.7782, Longitude: -121.3144       In this case, the coordinates for Gold Lake have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<6>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.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024