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The Commemorative Quarter for Colorado





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 Colorado Springs (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 Colorado Springs. 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 Colorado Springs ...

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.

Past names for Colorado Springs include: El Paso and Fountain Colony.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Colorado Springs: Colorado Spgs. (or less commonly used: Colorado Spngs. or Colorado Sprngs.)

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 Colorado Springs ...

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

  • Colorado Springs was established in 1871.
  • It was incorporated on June 19, 1886.

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 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.

Colorado Springs is located in El Paso 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 El Paso County: Crowley, Douglas, Elbert, Fremont, Lincoln, Pueblo & Teller.

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

  • El Paso County     (The home county of Colorado Springs)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Colorado Springs, with the one closest to Colorado Springs listed first.
    • Stratmoor
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stratmoor have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stratmoor
      • Stratmoor is located in El Paso County
    • Manitou Springs
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Cimarron Hills
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cimarron Hills have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cimarron Hills
      • Cimarron Hills is located in El Paso County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cimarron Hills <2>
    • Fort Carson
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Widefield
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Cascade
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Chipita Park
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Green Mountain Falls
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Fountain
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fountain have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fountain
      • Fountain is located in El Paso County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 31,017 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fountain <2>
    • Black Forest
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Black Forest have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Forest
      • Black Forest is located in El Paso County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Black Forest <2>
    • Falcon
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Crystola
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Crystola have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crystola
      • Crystola is located in El Paso County
    • Gleneagle
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gleneagle have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gleneagle
      • Gleneagle is located in El Paso County
  • Douglas County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Colorado Springs, with the one closest to Colorado Springs listed first.
    • Larkspur
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Larkspur have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Larkspur
      • Larkspur is located in Douglas County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 203 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Larkspur <2>
    • Westcreek
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westcreek
      • Westcreek is located in Douglas County
    • Perry Park
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Perry Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perry Park
      • Perry Park is located in Douglas County
  • Elbert County
  • Fremont County
  • Park County
    • Lake George
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake George have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake George
      • Lake George is located in Park County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lake George <2>
  • Pueblo County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Colorado Springs, with the one closest to Colorado Springs listed first.
    • Stone City
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stone City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stone City
      • Stone City is located in Pueblo County
    • Pinon
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pinon
      • Pinon is located in Pueblo County
  • Teller County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Colorado Springs, with the one closest to Colorado Springs listed first.
    • Woodland Park
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Woodland Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodland Park
      • Woodland Park is located in Teller County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,151 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Woodland Park <2>
    • Goldfield
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goldfield
      • Goldfield is located in Teller County
    • Independence ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Independence have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Independence
      • Independence is located in Teller County
    • Victor
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Divide
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Divide have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Divide
      • Divide is located in Teller County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Divide <2>
    • Cripple Creek
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Florissant
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Florissant have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Florissant
      • Florissant is located in Teller County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Florissant <2>

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Colorado Springs ...

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 148 newspapers that have been published in the area around Colorado Springs.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Colorado Springs. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Colorado Springs and those printed in the larger area surrounding Colorado Springs.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<3> of Colorado Springs.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites either 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 Colorado Springs:

Cemeteries Near Colorado Springs ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Colorado Springs.

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

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

  • Evergreen Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Paupers' Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Sons of Israel Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Shrine of Rest Mausoleum
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Pioneer Park Memorial
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Fairview Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
  • Memorial Gardens Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
  • Jackson Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Jackson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Jackson Cemetery
  • Helen Hunt Jackson Memorial
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Helen Hunt Jackson Memorial. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<5>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Helen Hunt Jackson Memorial
  • Crystal Valley Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Bouma / Briggs Grave
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Bouma / Briggs Grave. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<5>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bouma / Briggs Grave
  • Mt. St. Francis Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (34 more) ...
    • Capps Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Capps Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<5>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Capps Cemetery
    • Pikes Peak National Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Henry Harkins Gravesite
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Henry Harkins Gravesite. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<5>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Henry Harkins Gravesite

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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Colorado Springs had a population of 11,140 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Colorado Springs had a population of 482,131 people.

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

  • Ivywild
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ivywild have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ivywild
    • Ivywild is located in El Paso County
  • Kelker
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kelker have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kelker
    • Kelker is located in El Paso County
  • Pikeview
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pikeview have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pikeview
    • Pikeview is located in El Paso County
  • Manitou Springs
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Elsmere
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elsmere have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elsmere
    • Elsmere is located in El Paso County
  • Widefield
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Fountain
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fountain have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fountain
    • Fountain is located in El Paso County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 31,017 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fountain <2>
  • Green Mountain Falls
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Falcon
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Monument
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
  • Palmer Lake
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Palmer Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Palmer Lake
    • Palmer Lake is located in El Paso County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,037 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Palmer Lake <2>
  • Buttes
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Buttes have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buttes
    • Buttes is located in El Paso County
  • Continue List   (6 more) ...
    • Eastonville ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eastonville
      • Eastonville is located in El Paso County
    • Wigwam
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wigwam have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wigwam
      • Wigwam is located in El Paso County
    • Peyton
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Peyton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peyton
      • Peyton is located in El Paso County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Peyton <2>

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

The official website for Colorado Springs: www.springsgov.com/

The official website for El Paso County: www.elpasoco.com/

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>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- Colorado Springs) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Colorado Springs. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 38.8380, Longitude: -104.8215    
<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>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.
<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 Colorado Springs, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024