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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 Ponderosa Park (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 Ponderosa Park. 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.

Ponderosa Park is primarily located in Elbert County. A portion of Ponderosa Park extends into Douglas County.

To see how the shape of Colorado's counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Elbert County: Arapahoe, Douglas, El Paso, Lincoln & Washington.

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

  • Elbert County     (The home county of Ponderosa Park)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ponderosa Park, with the one closest to Ponderosa Park listed first.
    • Elizabeth
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Kiowa
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Elbert
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Fondis
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Fondis is located in Elbert County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fondis
  • Adams County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ponderosa Park, with the one closest to Ponderosa Park listed first.
    • Watkins
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Friendly Village
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Friendly Village is located in Adams County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Friendly Village
    • Hillcrest Village
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Hillcrest Village is located in Adams County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillcrest Village
    • Bennett
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Strasburg
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Arapahoe County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ponderosa Park, with the one closest to Ponderosa Park listed first.
    • Foxfield
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Foxfield is located in Arapahoe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Foxfield
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 771 people
    • Algonquin Acres
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Algonquin Acres is located in Arapahoe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Algonquin Acres
    • Centennial
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Castlewood
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Castlewood is located in Arapahoe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Castlewood
    • Greenwood Village
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Cherry Knolls
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Cherry Knolls is located in Arapahoe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherry Knolls
    • Southglenn
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Southglenn is located in Arapahoe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Southglenn
    • Somerset Village
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Somerset Village is located in Arapahoe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Somerset Village
    • Sableridge
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Sableridge is located in Arapahoe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sableridge
    • Settlers Village
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Settlers Village is located in Arapahoe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Settlers Village
    • Hallcrafts Village East
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Cherry Hills Village
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Havana Village
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Havana Village is located in Arapahoe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Havana Village
  • Denver County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ponderosa Park, with the one closest to Ponderosa Park listed first.
    • Cherry Creek
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Cherry Creek is located in Denver County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherry Creek
    • Montbello
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Sandown
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Sandown is located in Denver County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandown
    • Denver
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Denver is located in Denver County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Denver
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 735,538 people
      • Former names for Denver:
      • Auraina
      • Denver City
      • Montana City
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Denver <1>
    • West Denver
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • West Denver is located in Denver County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Denver
  • Douglas County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ponderosa Park, with the one closest to Ponderosa Park listed first.
    • The Pinery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • The Pinery is located in Douglas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for The Pinery
    • Franktown
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Founders Village
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
      • Founders Village is located in Douglas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Founders Village
    • Cherry Creek Highlands
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Parker
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Pine Valley
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Pine Valley is located in Douglas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Valley
    • Stonegate
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Stonegate is located in Douglas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stonegate
    • Castle Rock
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Cottonwood
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Cottonwood is located in Douglas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cottonwood
    • Grand View Estates
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Grand View Estates is located in Douglas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grand View Estates
    • Castle Pines North
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Castle Pines North is located in Douglas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Castle Pines North
      • Estimated population in 2011: 10,602 people
    • Castle Pines
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
    • Lone Tree
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
  • El Paso County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ponderosa Park, with the one closest to Ponderosa Park listed first.
    • Woodmoor
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Woodmoor is located in El Paso County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodmoor
    • Eastonville ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Eastonville is located in El Paso County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eastonville
    • Monument
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Palmer Lake
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Gleneagle
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Gleneagle is located in El Paso County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gleneagle
    • Black Forest
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Peyton
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
  • Jefferson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ponderosa Park, with the one closest to Ponderosa Park listed first.
    • Archer
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Archer is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Archer
    • Columbine
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Columbine is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Columbine
    • Ken Caryl
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Dome Rock
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Dome Rock is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dome Rock

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

Cemeteries Near Ponderosa Park ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Ponderosa Park.

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.

Although we don't have the information ourselves, if you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our list of websites on our Genealogy Helper Page for Ponderosa Park - one of the links might be able to help.

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Ponderosa Park covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Elizabeth Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Franktown Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Miller Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Fonder Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Newlin Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Parker Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parker Cemetery
    • The Parker Cemetery has also been known as:
    • J.S. Parker Cemetery
    • James Sample Parker Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #722189 <2>
  • Hungate Memorial
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Kiowa Old Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Ebenezer Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
  • Cedar Hill Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
  • Elbert - Kiowa Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
  • James Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (40 more) ...
    • Lewis Cemetery
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Melvin Lewis Cemetery
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Running Creek Cemetery
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)

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.<3>

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

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

  • Hilltop
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Hilltop is located in Douglas County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hilltop
  • Elizabeth
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Franktown
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Parker
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Castle Rock
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
  • Kiowa
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Elbert
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Sedalia
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
  • Larkspur
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Greenland
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Greenland is located in Douglas County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenland
  • Acequia
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Acequia is located in Douglas County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Acequia
  • Sullivan
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Sullivan is located in Arapahoe County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sullivan
  • Continue List   (11 more) ...
    • Palmer Lake
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Monument
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Eastonville ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Eastonville is located in El Paso County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eastonville

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

Newspapers Published in Ponderosa Park ...

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 61 newspapers that have been published in the area around Ponderosa Park.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Ponderosa Park, there are papers which were published within 24 miles [38.6 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Ponderosa Park.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we start with 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 Ponderosa Park:

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 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.
<3>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 Ponderosa Park, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<4>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- Ponderosa Park) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.