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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 Fir (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 Fir. 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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.

Fir is located in Costilla 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 Costilla County: Alamosa, Conejos, Huerfano, Las Animas, Colfax (NM) & Taos (NM).

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

  • Costilla County     (The home county of Fir)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fir, with the one closest to Fir listed first.
    • Russell ‑ Historic
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russell
      • Russell is located in Costilla County
    • Garland City ‑ Historic
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Garland City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garland City
      • Garland City is located in Costilla County
    • Fort Garland
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Blanca
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • San Luis
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for San Luis have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for San Luis
      • San Luis is located in Costilla County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 692 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for San Luis <2>
    • Chama
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chama have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chama
      • Chama is located in Costilla County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Chama <2>
    • San Pablo
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for San Pablo have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for San Pablo
      • San Pablo is located in Costilla County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for San Pablo <2>
    • San Acacio
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Huerfano County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fir, with the one closest to Fir listed first.
    • Uptop ‑ Historic
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Uptop
      • Uptop is located in Huerfano County
    • La Veta Pass
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for La Veta Pass have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Veta Pass
      • La Veta Pass is located in Huerfano County
    • Cuchara
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • La Veta
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Alamo
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alamo
      • Alamo is located in Huerfano County
    • Red Wing
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Gardner
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Tioga
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tioga have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tioga
      • Tioga is located in Huerfano County
    • Calumet
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calumet
      • Calumet is located in Huerfano County
    • Walsenburg
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Walsenburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walsenburg
      • Walsenburg is located in Huerfano County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,003 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Walsenburg <2>
    • Bradford
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bradford have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bradford
      • Bradford is located in Huerfano County
    • Cuchara Junction
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cuchara Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cuchara Junction
      • Cuchara Junction is located in Huerfano County
  • Las Animas County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Fir, with the one closest to Fir listed first.
    • Monument Park
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monument Park
      • Monument Park is located in Las Animas County
    • Gulnare
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Aguilar
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Weston
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)

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

Newspapers Published in Fir ...

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 23 newspapers that have been published in the area around Fir.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Fir, there are papers which were published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Fir.

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 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 Fir:

Cemeteries Near Fir ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Fir.

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

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

  • Oak View Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oak View Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oak View Cemetery
  • La Veta Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the La Veta Cemetery is located less than 2 miles<3> to the west of La Veta.
    • The La Veta Cemetery has also been known as:
    • La Veta Spanish Cemetery
    • La Wahatoya Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the La Veta Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2256280 <4>
  • Old La Veta Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Old La Veta Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Old La Veta Cemetery
  • Chavez Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Chavez Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Chavez Cemetery
  • Sanches Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sanches Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sanches Cemetery
  • Yellowstone Creek Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
  • Brennaman Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Brennaman Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Brennaman Cemetery
  • Ft. Garland Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ft. Garland Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ft. Garland Cemetery
  • Myer Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Myer Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Myer Cemetery
  • Mac Mullan Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mac Mullan Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mac Mullan Cemetery
  • Blanca Trinchera Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
  • Chama Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Chama Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Chama Cemetery
  • Continue List   (28 more) ...
    • Gonzales Cemetery
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Gonzales Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Gonzales Cemetery
    • Farisita Cemetery
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Farisita Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Farisita Cemetery
    • Hicks Cemetery
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hicks Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hicks Cemetery

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>

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

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

  • Muleshoe
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Muleshoe have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Muleshoe
    • Muleshoe is located in Huerfano County
  • Russell ‑ Historic
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Russell
    • Russell is located in Costilla County
  • Garland City ‑ Historic
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Garland City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garland City
    • Garland City is located in Costilla County
  • La Veta
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
  • Fort Garland
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
  • Blanca
    (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
  • Sharpsdale
    (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sharpsdale have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharpsdale
    • Sharpsdale is located in Huerfano County
  • Badito
    (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Badito have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Badito
    • Badito is located in Huerfano County
  • Malachite
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Malachite have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Malachite
    • Malachite is located in Huerfano County
  • Tioga
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tioga have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tioga
    • Tioga is located in Huerfano County
  • Gardner
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
  • Pictou
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pictou have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pictou
    • Pictou is located in Huerfano County
  • Continue List   (8 more) ...
    • San Luis
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for San Luis have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for San Luis
      • San Luis is located in Costilla County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 692 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for San Luis <2>
    • Stonewall
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stonewall have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stonewall
      • Stonewall is located in Las Animas County
    • Walsenburg
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Walsenburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walsenburg
      • Walsenburg is located in Huerfano County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,003 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Walsenburg <2>

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

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

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 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Fir) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Fir. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 37.4853, Longitude: -105.1794       In this case, the coordinates for Fir have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<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 Fir, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024