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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 Aspen (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 Aspen. 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 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.

Aspen is located in Pitkin County and is the County Seat.

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 Aspen. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Aspen:

  • Pitkin County     (The home county of Aspen)
  • Chaffee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Aspen, with the one closest to Aspen listed first.
    • Winfield ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Banker Mine ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Banker Mine. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Banker Mine
      • Banker Mine is located in Chaffee County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Banker Mine
      • From Aspen to Banker Mine
    • Vicksburg ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Eagle County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Aspen, with the one closest to Aspen listed first.
    • Ruedi ‑ Historic
      (12 miles [19.3 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.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruedi
      • Ruedi is located in Eagle County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Ruedi
      • From Aspen to Ruedi
    • Basalt
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Troutville ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • El Jebel
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Holy Cross City ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Mitchell
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mitchell have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mitchell
      • Mitchell is located in Eagle County
  • Garfield County
  • Gunnison County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Aspen, with the one closest to Aspen listed first.
    • Crystal ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Gothic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Mount Crested Butte
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mount Crested Butte have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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
    • Marble
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marble have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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 <1>
    • Pieplant ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 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.<3>
      • 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 Aspen to Pieplant
    • Crested Butte
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Irwin ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Lake County

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

Cemeteries Near Aspen ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Aspen.

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

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

  • Ute Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • 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.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Aspen Grove Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • 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.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Red Butte Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • 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.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Wheatley Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 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.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Fairview Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
  • 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.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Crested Butte Cemetery
    (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • 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.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Carbondale Cemetery
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Carbondale Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Carbondale Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Gold Park Cemetery
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Gold Park Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Gold Park Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #57305 <4>
  • Weaver Cemetery
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Weaver Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Weaver Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Irwin Cemetery
    (27 miles [43.5 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.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Windfield Cemetery
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • 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.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (9 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.<5>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Aspen had a population of 5,108 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Aspen had a population of 7,657 people.

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

  • Lenado ‑ Historic
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Woody Creek
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Ashcroft ‑ Historic
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Norrie
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Ruedi ‑ Historic
    (12 miles [19.3 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.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruedi
    • Ruedi is located in Eagle County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Ruedi
    • From Aspen to Ruedi
  • Nast
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nast have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nast
    • Nast is located in Pitkin County
  • Thomasville ‑ Historic
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Thomasville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thomasville
    • Thomasville is located in Pitkin County
  • Basalt
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Crystal ‑ Historic
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Emma
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Emma have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emma
    • Emma is located in Pitkin County
  • Gothic
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
  • Marble
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marble have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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 <1>
  • Continue List   (11 more) ...

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Aspen ...

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 58 newspapers that have been published in the area around Aspen.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Aspen. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Aspen and those printed in the larger area surrounding Aspen.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 28 miles [45.1 km]<6> of Aspen.

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 professional and volunteer 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 Aspen:

The official website for Aspen: www.aspenpitkin.com/

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

The official website for State of Colorado: https://www.colorado.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>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.
<5>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 Aspen, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Aspen) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Aspen. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 39.1907, Longitude: -106.8192    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025