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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 Rico (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 Rico. 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 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.

Rico is located in Dolores 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 Dolores County: Montezuma, San Juan, San Miguel & San Juan (UT).

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

  • Dolores County     (The home county of Rico)
    • Dunton ‑ Historic
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunton
      • Dunton is located in Dolores County
  • La Plata County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rico, with the one closest to Rico listed first.
    • Rockwood
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockwood
      • Rockwood is located in La Plata County
    • Hermosa
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hermosa
      • Hermosa is located in La Plata County
    • Hesperus
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Durango
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
  • Montezuma County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rico, with the one closest to Rico listed first.
    • Mancos
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mancos have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mancos
      • Mancos is located in Montezuma County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,398 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mancos <1>
    • Dolores
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • McPhee ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • 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
  • Ouray County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rico, with the one closest to Rico listed first.
    • Red Mountain ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Mountain
      • Red Mountain is located in Ouray County
    • Ouray
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • San Juan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rico, with the one closest to Rico listed first.
    • Graysill ‑ Historic
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Graysill. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Graysill
      • Graysill is located in San Juan County
    • Chattanooga ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chattanooga
      • Chattanooga is located in San Juan County
    • Silverton
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Howardsville ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Howardsville
      • Howardsville is located in San Juan County
    • Eureka ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eureka
      • Eureka is located in San Juan County
    • Animas Forks ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Animas Forks
      • Animas Forks is located in San Juan County
  • San Miguel County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rico, with the one closest to Rico listed first.
    • Ophir
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ophir
      • Ophir is located in San Miguel County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 190 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ophir <1>
    • Alta ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alta
      • Alta is located in San Miguel County
    • Vance Junction
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vance Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vance Junction
      • Vance Junction is located in San Miguel County
    • Vanadium ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vanadium
      • Vanadium is located in San Miguel County
    • Keystone ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keystone
      • Keystone is located in San Miguel County
    • Mountain Village
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mountain Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain Village
      • Mountain Village is located in San Miguel County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,470 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mountain Village <1>
    • San Miguel ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for San Miguel
      • San Miguel is located in San Miguel County
    • Telluride
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Sawpit
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sawpit
      • Sawpit is located in San Miguel County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 38 people
      • Sawpit has also been known as:
      • Saw Pit
    • Liberty Bell ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty Bell
      • Liberty Bell is located in San Miguel County
    • Pandora
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pandora
      • Pandora is located in San Miguel County
    • Placerville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Rico ...

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 71 newspapers that have been published in the area around Rico.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Rico. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Rico and those printed in the larger area surrounding Rico.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4> of Rico.

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 websites either 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 Rico:

Cemeteries Near Rico ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Rico.

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

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

  • Rico Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rico Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rico Cemetery
  • Hermosa Cemetery
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hermosa Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hermosa Cemetery
  • Lone Tree Cemetery
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lone Tree Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lone Tree Cemetery
  • Lone Tree Cemetery
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Hillside Cemetery
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Sheek Cemetery
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • 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>
  • Nash Cemetery
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Nash Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Nash Cemetery
  • Thompson Park Cemetery
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • 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
  • Cedar Grove Cemetery
    (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Mancos Pioneer Cemetery
    (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Hesperus Cemetery
    (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • 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
  • Webber Cemetery
    (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (6 more) ...
    • Green Mtn. Cemetery
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Green Mtn. Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Green Mtn. Cemetery
    • Greenmount Cemetery
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
    • Animas Cemetery
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Animas Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Animas Cemetery

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 Rico had a population of 1,134 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, Rico had a population of 262 people.

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

  • Ames ‑ Historic
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ames have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ames
    • Ames is located in San Miguel County
  • Ophir
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ophir
    • Ophir is located in San Miguel County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 190 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ophir <1>
  • Rockwood
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockwood
    • Rockwood is located in La Plata County
  • Ilium
    (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ilium have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ilium
    • Ilium is located in San Miguel County
  • Vance Junction
    (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vance Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vance Junction
    • Vance Junction is located in San Miguel County
  • Telluride
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
  • San Miguel ‑ Historic
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for San Miguel
    • San Miguel is located in San Miguel County
  • Hermosa
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hermosa
    • Hermosa is located in La Plata County
  • Silverton
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Chattanooga ‑ Historic
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chattanooga
    • Chattanooga is located in San Juan County
  • Pandora
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pandora
    • Pandora is located in San Miguel County
  • Trimble
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • 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
  • Continue List   (9 more) ...
    • Placerville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
    • Red Mountain ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Mountain
      • Red Mountain is located in Ouray County
    • Howardsville ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Howardsville
      • Howardsville is located in San Juan County

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

The official website for Rico: www.ricocolorado.org/

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' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Rico) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Rico. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 37.6885, Longitude: -108.0316       In this case, the coordinates for Rico 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 Rico, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024