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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 Bonanza (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 Bonanza. 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 Bonanza ...

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.

The community of Bonanza was originally named Bonanza 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 Bonanza ...

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

  • The naming (or the toponymy) of Bonanza: Spanish for 'Prosperity'.
  • It was incorporated on January 13, 1881.

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 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.

Bonanza is located in Saguache 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 Saguache County: Alamosa, Chaffee, Custer, Fremont, Gunnison, Hinsdale, Huerfano, Mineral & Rio Grande.

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

  • Saguache County     (The home county of Bonanza)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bonanza, with the one closest to Bonanza listed first.
    • Kerper City
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kerper City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kerper City
      • Kerper City is located in Saguache County
    • Spook City
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spook City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spook City
      • Spook City is located in Saguache County
    • Villa Grove
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Villa Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Villa Grove
      • Villa Grove is located in Saguache County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Villa Grove <2>
    • Saguache
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saguache have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saguache
      • Saguache is located in Saguache County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 531 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Saguache <2>
    • Sargents
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sargents have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sargents
      • Sargents is located in Saguache County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sargents <2>
    • Moffat
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
  • Chaffee County
  • Fremont County
  • Gunnison County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bonanza, with the one closest to Bonanza listed first.
    • Whitepine
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Bowerman ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bowerman. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowerman
      • Bowerman is located in Gunnison County
      • Bowerman has also been known as:
      • Camp Bowerman
      • Nugget City
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Bowerman
      • From Bonanza to Bowerman
    • Pitkin
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)

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

Cemeteries Near Bonanza ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Bonanza.

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

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

  • Whites Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Whites Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Whites Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Villa Grove Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Villa Grove Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Villa Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jacks Creek Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Jacks Creek Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Jacks Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Campo Santo Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Campo Santo Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Campo Santo Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Hillside Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hillside Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hillside Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Poncha Springs Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
  • Cleora Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Woodlawn Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Fairview Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
  • Mirage Cemetery
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mirage Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mirage Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Cotton Creek Cemetery
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cotton Creek Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cotton Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Howard Cemetery
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Howard Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Howard Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (9 more) ...
    • White Pine Cemetery
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the White Pine Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the White Pine Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Tomichi Cemetery
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Tomichi Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Tomichi Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Centerville Cemetery
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Centerville Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Centerville Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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 Bonanza had a population of 96 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, Bonanza had a population of 21 people.

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

  • Alder ‑ Historic
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alder have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alder
    • Alder is located in Saguache County
  • Villa Grove
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Villa Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Villa Grove
    • Villa Grove is located in Saguache County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Villa Grove <2>
  • Mears Junction
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
  • Chester
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chester have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chester
    • Chester is located in Saguache County
  • Saguache
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saguache have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saguache
    • Saguache is located in Saguache County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 531 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Saguache <2>
  • Poncha Springs
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
  • Sargents
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sargents have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sargents
    • Sargents is located in Saguache County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sargents <2>
  • Cleora
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Cleora. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cleora
    • Cleora is located in Chaffee County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Cleora
    • From Bonanza to Cleora
  • Maysville ‑ Historic
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
  • Wellsville
    (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
  • Salida
    (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
  • Garfield ‑ Historic
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Garfield have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garfield
    • Garfield is located in Chaffee County
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Bonanza ...

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 41 newspapers that have been published in the area around Bonanza.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

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

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 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 Bonanza:

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

The official website for Saguache County: www.slv.org/saguachecounty/

The official website for State of Colorado: https://www.colorado.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<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 Bonanza, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or 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- Bonanza) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Bonanza. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 38.2945, Longitude: -106.1414    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025