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Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

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

We've added Ashcroft to our Gazetteer with the hope that we can develop more information. If you can help us with Ashcroft, 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 Ashcroft (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 Ashcroft. 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 Ashcroft ...

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.

Over the years, Ashcroft had several name changes:

  • Prior to its current name of Ashcroft, it was known as Chloride.
  • Before changing to Chloride, it was named Castle Forks City.
  • Ashcroft was originally named Castle Forks City

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.

A Few Details for Ashcroft ...

While it's still very early in our research, we found that:

  • Ashcroft was founded in 1880.

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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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 Ashcroft is historic, it would have been located within present day Pitkin County.

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

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Pitkin County: Chaffee, Eagle, Garfield, Gunnison, Lake & Mesa.

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

  • Pitkin County     (The home county of Ashcroft)
  • Chaffee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ashcroft, with the one closest to Ashcroft listed first.
    • Winfield ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Banker Mine ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Vicksburg ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Granite
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Hawkinsville ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
  • Eagle County
  • Gunnison County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ashcroft, with the one closest to Ashcroft listed first.
    • Gothic
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Mount Crested Butte
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mount Crested Butte have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Crested Butte
      • Mount Crested Butte is located in Gunnison County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 893 people
    • Pieplant ‑ Historic
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Pieplant. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pieplant
      • Pieplant is located in Gunnison County
      • Pieplant has also been known as:
      • Pie Plant
      • Pieplant Mill
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Pieplant
      • From Ashcroft to Pieplant
    • Crested Butte
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Crystal ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Irwin ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Marble
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marble have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marble
      • Marble is located in Gunnison County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 140 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Marble <2>
    • Baldwin ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Baldwin. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baldwin
      • Baldwin is located in Gunnison County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Baldwin
      • From Ashcroft to Baldwin
    • Abbeyville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Tincup
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Almont
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Almont have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Almont
      • Almont is located in Gunnison County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Almont <2>
  • Lake County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ashcroft, with the one closest to Ashcroft listed first.
    • Twin Lakes
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Malta ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Malta have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Malta
      • Malta is located in Lake County
    • Low Pass ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Low Pass. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Low Pass
      • Low Pass is located in Lake County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Low Pass
      • From Ashcroft to Low Pass
    • Leadville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)

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

Cemeteries Near Ashcroft ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Ashcroft.

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

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

  • Ute Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ute Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ute Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Aspen Grove Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Aspen Grove Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Aspen Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Red Butte Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Red Butte Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Red Butte Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Crested Butte Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Crested Butte Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Crested Butte Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Irwin Cemetery
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Irwin Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Irwin Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Wheatley Cemetery
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wheatley Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wheatley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jacks Cabin Cemetery
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Jacks Cabin Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Jacks Cabin Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Windfield Cemetery
    (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Windfield Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Windfield Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Marble Cemetery
    (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Marble Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Marble Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Fairview Cemetery
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
  • Boothill Cemetery
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Tincup Cemetery
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Tincup Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Tincup Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (7 more) ...

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.

Ashcroft itself is historic and was described in the Rand McNally Atlas as having a population of 41 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Aspen
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • Gothic
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Lenado ‑ Historic
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
  • Pittsburg ‑ Historic
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pittsburg have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pittsburg
    • Pittsburg is located in Gunnison County
  • Woody Creek
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
  • Crested Butte
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Crystal ‑ Historic
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
  • Winfield ‑ Historic
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
  • Nast
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nast have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nast
    • Nast is located in Pitkin County
  • Irwin ‑ Historic
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Norrie
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
  • Thomasville ‑ Historic
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Thomasville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thomasville
    • Thomasville is located in Pitkin County
  • Continue List   (11 more) ...
    • Marble
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marble have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marble
      • Marble is located in Gunnison County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 140 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Marble <2>
    • Twin Lakes
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Ruedi ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Ruedi. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruedi
      • Ruedi is located in Eagle County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Ruedi
      • From Ashcroft to Ruedi

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Ashcroft ...

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 32 newspapers that have been published in the area around Ashcroft.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Ashcroft. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Ashcroft and those printed in the larger area surrounding Ashcroft.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<6> of Ashcroft.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These helpful 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 Ashcroft:

The official website for Pitkin County: www.aspenpitkin.com/

The official website for State of Colorado: https://www.colorado.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 Ashcroft, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>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.
<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>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>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Ashcroft) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Ashcroft. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 39.0545, Longitude: -106.7981    









 

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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.

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025