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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 Iris (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 Iris. 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 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.

Iris 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 Iris. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Iris:

  • Saguache County     (The home county of Iris)
    • Sargents
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • 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>
  • Chaffee County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Iris, with the one closest to Iris listed first.
    • Monarch
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Hancock ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hancock
      • Hancock is located in Chaffee County
  • Gunnison County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Iris, with the one closest to Iris listed first.
    • Parlin
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Parlin. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parlin
      • Parlin is located in Gunnison County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Parlin <2>
    • Gunnison
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Ohio City
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Iola ‑ Historic
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Iola. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iola
      • Iola is located in Gunnison County
    • Almont
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Almont have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Almont
      • Almont is located in Gunnison County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Almont <2>
    • Powderhorn
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Powderhorn. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powderhorn
      • Powderhorn is located in Gunnison County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Powderhorn <2>
    • Bowerman ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • 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
    • Pitkin
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Whitepine
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitepine
      • Whitepine is located in Gunnison County
      • Whitepine has also been known as:
      • White Pine
    • Baldwin ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Baldwin. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baldwin
      • Baldwin is located in Gunnison County
    • Tincup
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tincup
      • Tincup is located in Gunnison County

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

Cemeteries Near Iris ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Iris.

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

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

  • Iris Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Iris Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Iris Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Parlin Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Parlin Cemetery
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Parlin Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
  • Gunnison Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Gunnison Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Gunnison Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the east of Gunnison.
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #57319 <4>
  • Doyle Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Doyle Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Doyle Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Palisade Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Palisade Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Palisade Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Doyleville Cemetery #1
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
  • Ohio City Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ohio City Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ohio City Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • McGregor Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Powderhorn Family Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Pitkin Cemetery
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pitkin Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pitkin Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Jacks Cabin Cemetery
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Jacks Cabin Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Jacks Cabin Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • White Pine Cemetery
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • 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.
  • Continue List   (6 more) ...
    • Nurse - Brownlee Cemetery
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Nurse - Brownlee Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Nurse - Brownlee Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Tomichi Cemetery
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • 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.
    • Blue Mesa Cemetery
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)

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 Iris in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Iris.

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

  • Parlin
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Parlin. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parlin
    • Parlin is located in Gunnison County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Parlin <2>
  • Gunnison
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Doyleville
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Doyleville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Doyleville
    • Doyleville is located in Gunnison County
  • Hierro
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hierro have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hierro
    • Hierro is located in Gunnison County
  • Ohio City
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Powderhorn
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Powderhorn. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powderhorn
    • Powderhorn is located in Gunnison County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Powderhorn <2>
  • Almont
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Almont have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Almont
    • Almont is located in Gunnison County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Almont <2>
  • Pitkin
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Gateview
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gateview have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gateview
    • Gateview is located in Gunnison County
  • Sargents
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • 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>
  • Sapinero
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sapinero have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sapinero
    • Sapinero is located in Gunnison County
  • Baldwin ‑ Historic
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Baldwin. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baldwin
    • Baldwin is located in Gunnison County
  • Chester
    (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • 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
  • Monarch
    (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Iris ...

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 54 newspapers that have been published in the area around Iris.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

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

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we begin with 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 Iris:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Iris. 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 Iris, 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' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Iris) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Iris. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 38.4161, Longitude: -106.8289       In this case, the coordinates for Iris have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025