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Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

So far, we found very little information about Saint Elmo. The little that we've found leads us believe that the community is historic.<1>

We've added Saint Elmo to our Gazetteer with the hope that we can develop more information. If you can help us with Saint Elmo, please Contact Us.

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 Saint Elmo (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 Saint Elmo. 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.

Name Variations for Saint Elmo ...

When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might have occurred.

Saint Elmo was originally named Forest City

  • A typical abbreviation for Saint Elmo: St. Elmo

If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.

A Few Details for Saint Elmo ...

While it's still very early in our research, we found that:

  • Saint Elmo was founded in 1880.

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 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.

Although our information shows that the community of Saint Elmo is historic, it would have been located within present day Chaffee 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 Chaffee County: Fremont, Gunnison, Lake, Park, Pitkin & Saguache.

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

  • Chaffee County     (The home county of Saint Elmo)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Saint Elmo, with the one closest to Saint Elmo listed first.
    • Iron City ‑ Historic
      (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Iron City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iron City
      • Iron City is located in Chaffee County
    • Hancock ‑ Historic
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Monarch
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Nathrop
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nathrop have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nathrop
      • Nathrop is located in Chaffee County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Nathrop <3>
    • Buena Vista
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Buena Vista have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buena Vista
      • Buena Vista is located in Chaffee County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,116 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Buena Vista <3>
    • Johnson Village
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Johnson Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Johnson Village
      • Johnson Village is located in Chaffee County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Johnson Village <3>
    • Maysville ‑ Historic
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Americus
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Americus have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Americus
      • Americus is located in Chaffee County
    • Browns Canon
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Belleview
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Belleview. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belleview
      • Belleview is located in Chaffee County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Belleview
      • From Saint Elmo to Belleview
    • Turret ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Poncha Springs
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Banker Mine ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
  • Fremont County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Saint Elmo, with the one closest to Saint Elmo listed first.
    • Wellsville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Calcite ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Calcite. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Calcite
      • Calcite is located in Fremont County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Calcite
      • From Saint Elmo to Calcite
  • Gunnison County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Saint Elmo, with the one closest to Saint Elmo listed first.
    • Tincup
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Abbeyville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Whitepine
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Pitkin
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Bowerman ‑ Historic
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • 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.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bowerman
      • Bowerman is located in Gunnison County
      • Bowerman has also been known as:
      • Camp Bowerman
      • Nugget City
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Bowerman
      • From Saint Elmo to Bowerman
    • Ohio City
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Pieplant ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Pieplant. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pieplant
      • Pieplant is located in Gunnison County
      • Pieplant has also been known as:
      • Pie Plant
      • Pieplant Mill
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Pieplant
      • From Saint Elmo to Pieplant
    • Parlin
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Almont
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Almont have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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 <3>
  • Lake County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Saint Elmo, with the one closest to Saint Elmo listed first.
    • Low Pass ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Low Pass. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Low Pass
      • Low Pass is located in Lake County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Low Pass
      • From Saint Elmo to Low Pass
    • Twin Lakes
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
  • Pitkin County
  • Saguache County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Saint Elmo, with the one closest to Saint Elmo listed first.
    • Sargents
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sargents have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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 <3>
    • Bonanza
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)

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

Cemeteries Near Saint Elmo ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Saint Elmo.

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

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

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.

Saint Elmo itself is historic and was described in the Rand McNally Atlas as having a population of 150 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.

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

  • Romley ‑ Historic
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Romley have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Romley
    • Romley is located in Chaffee County
  • Alpine ‑ Historic
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alpine have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alpine
    • Alpine is located in Chaffee County
  • Tincup
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Garfield ‑ Historic
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Garfield have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garfield
    • Garfield is located in Chaffee County
  • Pitkin
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Monarch
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
  • Maysville ‑ Historic
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Nathrop
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nathrop have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nathrop
    • Nathrop is located in Chaffee County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Nathrop <3>
  • Buena Vista
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Buena Vista have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buena Vista
    • Buena Vista is located in Chaffee County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,116 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Buena Vista <3>
  • Browns Canon
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Americus
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Americus have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Americus
    • Americus is located in Chaffee County
  • Ohio City
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Belleview
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Belleview. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belleview
      • Belleview is located in Chaffee County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Belleview
      • From Saint Elmo to Belleview
    • Riverside
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Riverside have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverside
      • Riverside is located in Chaffee County
    • Poncha Springs
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Saint Elmo ...

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 59 newspapers that have been published in the area around Saint Elmo.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

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

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Saint Elmo:

The official website for Chaffee County: www.chaffeecounty.org/

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

Footnotes ...

<1>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 Saint Elmo, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<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>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<4>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.
<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>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 drawn from Point A (ie- Saint Elmo) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Saint Elmo. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 38.7042, Longitude: -106.3465    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025