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

Hilton is located in Bent 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 Bent County: Baca, Kiowa, Las Animas, Otero & Prowers.

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

  • Bent County     (The home county of Hilton)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hilton, with the one closest to Hilton listed first.
    • Fort Lyon
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fort Lyon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Lyon
      • Fort Lyon is located in Bent County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fort Lyon <2>
    • Caddoa ‑ Historic
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Caddoa. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caddoa
      • Caddoa is located in Bent County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Caddoa
      • From Hilton to Caddoa
    • Hasty
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Las Animas
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • McClave
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for McClave have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McClave
      • McClave is located in Bent County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for McClave <2>
    • Big Bend
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Big Bend have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Bend
      • Big Bend is located in Bent County
  • Kiowa County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hilton, with the one closest to Hilton listed first.
    • Arlington
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Haswell
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Haswell have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haswell
      • Haswell is located in Kiowa County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 74 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Haswell <2>
    • Galatea
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Galatea. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galatea
      • Galatea is located in Kiowa County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Galatea
      • From Hilton to Galatea
  • Otero County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hilton, with the one closest to Hilton listed first.
    • Cheraw
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • La Junta Village
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for La Junta Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Junta Village
      • La Junta Village is located in Otero County
    • La Junta
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Higbee
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Higbee. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Higbee
      • Higbee is located in Otero County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Higbee
      • From Hilton to Higbee
    • Swink
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Swink have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swink
      • Swink is located in Otero County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 595 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Swink <2>
  • Prowers County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Hilton, with the one closest to Hilton listed first.
    • Wiley
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wiley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wiley
      • Wiley is located in Prowers County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 395 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wiley <2>
    • Lamar
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Kornman
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)

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

Cemeteries Near Hilton ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Hilton.

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

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

  • Ft. Lyon National Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ft. Lyon National Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ft. Lyon National Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Union Valley Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Las Animas Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Las Animas Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Las Animas Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Indian Rock Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Indian Rock Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Indian Rock Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • The Home Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Home Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for The Home Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Little Kansas Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Little Kansas Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Little Kansas Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Hight Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hight Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hight Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Wiley Cemetery
    (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wiley Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wiley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Bethel Cemetery
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bethel Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bethel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Paul's Lutheran Cemetery
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Paul's Lutheran Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Paul's Lutheran Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Crawford Cemetery
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Crawford Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Crawford Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Arlington Cemetery
    (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Arlington Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Arlington Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (11 more) ...
    • Fairmount Cemetery
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Mt. Olive Cemetery
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Olive Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Olive Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Riverside Cemetery
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Riverside Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Riverside 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 in 1895, Hilton had railroad service and no post office.

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

  • Caddoa ‑ Historic
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Caddoa. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caddoa
    • Caddoa is located in Bent County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Caddoa
    • From Hilton to Caddoa
  • Las Animas
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Prowers
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Prowers have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prowers
    • Prowers is located in Bent County
  • Arlington
    (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
  • Lamar
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
  • La Junta
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
  • Haswell
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Haswell have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Haswell
    • Haswell is located in Kiowa County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 74 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Haswell <2>
  • Higbee
    (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Higbee. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Higbee
    • Higbee is located in Otero County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Higbee
    • From Hilton to Higbee
  • Galatea
    (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Galatea. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galatea
    • Galatea is located in Kiowa County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Galatea
    • From Hilton to Galatea

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

Newspapers Published in Hilton ...

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 11 newspapers that have been published in the area around Hilton.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Hilton, there are papers which were published within 26 miles [41.8 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Hilton.

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 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 Hilton:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Hilton. 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>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 Hilton, 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 from Point A (ie- Hilton) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Hilton. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 38.0713, Longitude: -103.0657       In this case, the coordinates for Hilton have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025