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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 Sawpit (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 Sawpit. 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 Sawpit ...

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.

Sawpit has also been known as: Saw Pit.

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.

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 doctors and 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.

Sawpit is located in San Miguel 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 San Miguel County: Dolores, Montrose, Ouray, San Juan & San Juan (UT).

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

  • San Miguel County     (The home county of Sawpit)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sawpit, with the one closest to Sawpit listed first.
    • Vanadium ‑ Historic
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Placerville
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Leonard ‑ Historic
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Leonard have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leonard
      • Leonard is located in San Miguel County
    • Ilium
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Ilium. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ilium
      • Ilium is located in San Miguel County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Ilium
      • From Sawpit to Ilium
    • Keystone ‑ Historic
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Vance Junction
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Mountain Village
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • 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
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Liberty Bell ‑ Historic
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Telluride
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Alta ‑ Historic
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Ames ‑ Historic
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Ames. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ames
      • Ames is located in San Miguel County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Ames
      • From Sawpit to Ames
  • Dolores County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sawpit, with the one closest to Sawpit listed first.
    • Dunton ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Rico
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • 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>
  • Hinsdale County
  • Montrose County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sawpit, with the one closest to Sawpit listed first.
    • Ute
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Redvale
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Redvale have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Redvale
      • Redvale is located in Montrose County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Redvale <1>
    • Uncompahgre
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Vernal
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Vernal. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vernal
      • Vernal is located in Montrose County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Vernal
      • From Sawpit to Vernal
    • Pinon
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Ouray County
  • San Juan County

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

Cemeteries Near Sawpit ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Sawpit.

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

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

  • Lone Tree Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lone Tree Cemetery
    • 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.
  • Lone Tree Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
  • Dallas Park Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Dallas Park Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Dallas Park Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Dallas Park Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Dallas Park Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Dallas Park Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Cedar Hill Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cedar Hill Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cedar Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Norwood Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Rico Cemetery
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rico Cemetery
    • 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.
  • Hillside Cemetery
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Coventry Cemetery
    (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Coventry Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Coventry Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Nash Cemetery
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Nash Cemetery
    • 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.
  • Colona Cemetery
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Colona Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Colona Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Button Cemetery
    (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Button Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Button Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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.<5>

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

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

  • Placerville
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Leonard ‑ Historic
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Leonard have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leonard
    • Leonard is located in San Miguel County
  • Vance Junction
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Ilium
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Ilium. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ilium
    • Ilium is located in San Miguel County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Ilium
    • From Sawpit to Ilium
  • San Miguel ‑ Historic
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
  • Ames ‑ Historic
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Ames. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ames
    • Ames is located in San Miguel County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Ames
    • From Sawpit to Ames
  • Telluride
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
  • Pandora
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
  • Ophir
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Chattanooga ‑ Historic
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Red Mountain ‑ Historic
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
  • Portland
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Portland have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Portland
    • Portland is located in Ouray County
  • Continue List   (12 more) ...
    • Ridgway
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Ironton ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ironton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ironton
      • Ironton is located in Ouray County
    • Ouray
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Sawpit ...

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 78 newspapers that have been published in the area around Sawpit.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Sawpit. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Sawpit and those printed in the larger area surrounding Sawpit.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 25 miles [40.2 km]<6> of Sawpit.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we begin 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 Sawpit:

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

The official website for San Miguel County: www.sanmiguelcounty.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>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.
<5>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 Sawpit, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Sawpit) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Sawpit. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 37.9946, Longitude: -108.0020    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025