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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 La Veta (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 La Veta. 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 doctors and hospitals 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.

La Veta is located in Huerfano 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 Huerfano County: Alamosa, Costilla, Custer, Las Animas & Pueblo.

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

  • Huerfano County     (The home county of La Veta)
    • The following are listed by their distance from La Veta, with the one closest to La Veta listed first.
    • Alamo
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Cuchara
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Muleshoe
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Muleshoe. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Muleshoe
      • Muleshoe is located in Huerfano County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Muleshoe
      • From La Veta to Muleshoe
    • La Veta Pass
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Uptop ‑ Historic
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Tioga
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Tioga. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tioga
      • Tioga is located in Huerfano County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Tioga
      • From La Veta to Tioga
    • Calumet
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Walsenburg
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Walsenburg have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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 <1>
    • Cuchara Junction
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cuchara Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cuchara Junction
      • Cuchara Junction is located in Huerfano County
    • Gardner
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Red Wing
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Apache City
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Apache City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Apache City
      • Apache City is located in Huerfano County
    • Lascar
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Costilla County
  • Las Animas County
  • Pueblo County
    • The following are listed by their distance from La Veta, with the one closest to La Veta listed first.
    • Rye
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Greenhorn
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Greenhorn. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenhorn
      • Greenhorn is located in Pueblo County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Greenhorn
      • From La Veta to Greenhorn

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

Cemeteries Near La Veta ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of La Veta.

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

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

  • La Veta Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
  • Old La Veta Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Old La Veta Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Old La Veta Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Chavez Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Chavez Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Chavez Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Oak View Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oak View Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oak View Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Laguna Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Laguna Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Laguna Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Thomas Rodger Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Thomas Rodger Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Thomas Rodger Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Sanches Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sanches Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sanches Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Yellowstone Creek Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Scott Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Scott Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Scott Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Marys Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Marys Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Marys Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Farisita Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Farisita Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Farisita Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Hicks Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hicks Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hicks Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (29 more) ...
    • Prince Cemetery
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Prince Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Prince Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jarosa Cemetery
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Jarosa Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Jarosa Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Trujillo Creek Cemetery
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Trujillo Creek Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Trujillo Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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.<6>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that La Veta had a population of 361 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, La Veta had a population of 809 people.

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

  • Muleshoe
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Muleshoe. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Muleshoe
    • Muleshoe is located in Huerfano County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Muleshoe
    • From La Veta to Muleshoe
  • Pictou
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pictou have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pictou
    • Pictou is located in Huerfano County
  • Tioga
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Tioga. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tioga
    • Tioga is located in Huerfano County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Tioga
    • From La Veta to Tioga
  • Badito
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Badito have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Badito
    • Badito is located in Huerfano County
  • Walsenburg
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Walsenburg have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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 <1>
  • Russell ‑ Historic
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
  • Rouse
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rouse have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rouse
    • Rouse is located in Huerfano County
  • Garland City ‑ Historic
    (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Garland City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garland City
    • Garland City is located in Costilla County
  • Gulnare
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
  • Aguilar
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
  • Gardner
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Cuchara Junction
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cuchara Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cuchara Junction
    • Cuchara Junction is located in Huerfano County
  • Continue List   (10 more) ...
    • Malachite
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Malachite have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Malachite
      • Malachite is located in Huerfano County
    • Fort Garland
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • 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.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stonewall
      • Stonewall is located in Las Animas County

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of La Veta ...

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 20 newspapers that have been published in the area around La Veta.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of La Veta. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of La Veta and those printed in the larger area surrounding La Veta.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 27 miles [43.5 km]<4> of La Veta.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These helpful 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 La Veta:

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

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

Footnotes ...

<1>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<2>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.
<3>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.
<4>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- La Veta) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in La Veta. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 37.5080, Longitude: -105.0091    
<5>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.
<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 La Veta, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025