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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 Mancos (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 Mancos. 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.

Mancos is located in Montezuma 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 Montezuma County: Apache (AZ), Dolores, La Plata, San Juan, San Juan (NM) & San Juan (UT).

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

  • Montezuma County     (The home county of Mancos)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Mancos, with the one closest to Mancos listed first.
    • Dolores
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Cortez
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cortez have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cortez
      • Cortez is located in Montezuma County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,734 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cortez <1>
    • Arriola
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arriola
      • Arriola is located in Montezuma County
    • McPhee ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for McPhee. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McPhee
      • McPhee is located in Montezuma County
    • Lewis
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lewis have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lewis
      • Lewis is located in Montezuma County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lewis <1>
    • Towaoc
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Towaoc have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Towaoc
      • Towaoc is located in Montezuma County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Towaoc <1>
    • Yellow Jacket
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Ackmen ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Ackmen. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ackmen
      • Ackmen is located in Montezuma County
    • Pleasant View
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pleasant View have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant View
      • Pleasant View is located in Montezuma County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pleasant View <1>
  • Dolores County
    • Rico
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rico have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rico
      • Rico is located in Dolores County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 262 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rico <1>
  • La Plata County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Mancos, with the one closest to Mancos listed first.
    • Hesperus
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Fort Lewis ‑ Historic
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Fort Lewis. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Lewis
      • Fort Lewis is located in La Plata County
    • Marvel
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marvel have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marvel
      • Marvel is located in La Plata County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Marvel <1>
    • Durango
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Carbon Junction
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carbon Junction
      • Carbon Junction is located in La Plata County
    • Hermosa
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hermosa
      • Hermosa is located in La Plata County
    • Rockwood
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockwood
      • Rockwood is located in La Plata County
    • Bondad
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bondad have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bondad
      • Bondad is located in La Plata County
  • San Juan County (NM)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Mancos ...

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 Mancos.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

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

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 professional and volunteer 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 Mancos:

Cemeteries Near Mancos ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Mancos.

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

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

  • Cedar Grove Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
  • Mancos Pioneer Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Webber Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Sheek Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Sheek Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sheek Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #57548 <5>
  • Thompson Park Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Thompson Park Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Thompson Park Cemetery
  • Hay Gulch Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hay Gulch Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hay Gulch Cemetery
  • Summit Ridge Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Cortez Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
  • Hesperus Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hesperus Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hesperus Cemetery
  • Peoples Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Kline Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Kline Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Kline Cemetery
  • Lebanon Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (19 more) ...

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>

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

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

  • Dolores
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Fort Lewis ‑ Historic
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Fort Lewis. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Lewis
    • Fort Lewis is located in La Plata County
  • Cortez
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cortez have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cortez
    • Cortez is located in Montezuma County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,734 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cortez <1>
  • Durango
    (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
  • Trimble
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Trimble have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trimble
    • Trimble is located in La Plata County
  • Hermosa
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hermosa
    • Hermosa is located in La Plata County
  • Rico
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rico have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rico
    • Rico is located in Dolores County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 262 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rico <1>
  • Rockwood
    (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockwood
    • Rockwood is located in La Plata County
  • La Plata
    (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)

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

The official website for Mancos: www.mancoscolorado.com/

The official website for Montezuma County: www.co.montezuma.co.us/

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>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>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>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or 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- Mancos) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Mancos. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 37.3465, Longitude: -108.2937       In this case, the coordinates for Mancos have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<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 Mancos, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024