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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 Granite (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 Granite. 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 hospitals and 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.

Granite is located in Chaffee 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 Chaffee County: Fremont, Gunnison, Lake, Park, Pitkin & Saguache.

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

  • Chaffee County     (The home county of Granite)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Granite, with the one closest to Granite listed first.
    • Hawkinsville ‑ Historic
      (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Pine Creek
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Pine Creek. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Creek
      • Pine Creek is located in Chaffee County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Pine Creek
      • From Granite to Pine Creek
    • Vicksburg ‑ Historic
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Banker Mine ‑ Historic
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • 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.<1>
      • 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 Granite to Banker Mine
    • Winfield ‑ Historic
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Americus
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Americus have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Americus
      • Americus is located in Chaffee County
    • Buena Vista
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Buena Vista have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buena Vista
      • Buena Vista is located in Chaffee County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,116 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Buena Vista <3>
    • Johnson Village
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Johnson Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnson Village
      • Johnson Village is located in Chaffee County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Johnson Village <3>
    • Nathrop
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nathrop have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nathrop
      • Nathrop is located in Chaffee County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Nathrop <3>
    • Iron City ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Iron City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iron City
      • Iron City is located in Chaffee County
    • Saint Elmo ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Hancock ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
  • Eagle County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Granite, with the one closest to Granite listed first.
    • Mitchell
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • 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
    • Camp Hale ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Pando ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Holy Cross City ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Gunnison County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Granite, with the one closest to Granite listed first.
    • Pieplant ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • 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.<1>
      • 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 Granite to Pieplant
    • Abbeyville
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Tincup
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
  • Lake County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Granite, with the one closest to Granite listed first.
    • Low Pass ‑ Historic
      (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
      • 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.<1>
      • 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 Granite to Low Pass
    • Twin Lakes
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Malta ‑ Historic
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Malta have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Malta
      • Malta is located in Lake County
    • Oro City ‑ Historic
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Leadville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Climax ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
  • Park County
  • Pitkin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Granite, with the one closest to Granite listed first.
    • Independence ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Ruby ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Norrie
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Ashcroft ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Biglow
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Biglow have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Biglow
      • Biglow is located in Pitkin County
    • Lenado ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Summit County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Granite, with the one closest to Granite listed first.
    • Kokomo ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kokomo have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kokomo
      • Kokomo is located in Summit County
    • Mayflower Gulch ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Blue River
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Blue River have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blue River
      • Blue River is located in Summit County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 928 people
    • Dyersville ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)

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

Cemeteries Near Granite ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Granite.

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

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

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 Granite had a population of 142 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.

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

  • Pine Creek
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Pine Creek. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Creek
    • Pine Creek is located in Chaffee County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Pine Creek
    • From Granite to Pine Creek
  • Twin Lakes
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Riverside
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Riverside have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverside
    • Riverside is located in Chaffee County
  • Winfield ‑ Historic
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Americus
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Americus have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Americus
    • Americus is located in Chaffee County
  • Malta ‑ Historic
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Malta have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Malta
    • Malta is located in Lake County
  • Oro City ‑ Historic
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
  • Leadville
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
  • Buena Vista
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Buena Vista have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buena Vista
    • Buena Vista is located in Chaffee County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,116 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Buena Vista <3>
  • Haver ‑ Historic
    (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Haver have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haver
    • Haver is located in Park County
  • Fairplay
    (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
  • Birdseye
    (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Birdseye have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Birdseye
    • Birdseye is located in Lake County
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Alma
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Garo ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Garo have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garo
      • Garo is located in Park County
    • Alpine ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alpine have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alpine
      • Alpine is located in Chaffee County

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Granite ...

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 75 newspapers that have been published in the area around Granite.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

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

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Granite:

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

The official website for Chaffee County: www.chaffeecounty.org/

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

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<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>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<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 Granite, 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 obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Granite) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Granite. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 39.0439, Longitude: -106.2648    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025