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Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

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

We've added Sopris to our Gazetteer with the hope that we can develop more information. If you can help us with Sopris, 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 Sopris (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 Sopris. 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 northeast 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 north.

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 north 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 Sopris is historic, it would have been located within present day Las Animas 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 Las Animas County: Baca, Bent, Costilla, Huerfano, Otero, Pueblo, Colfax (NM) & Union (NM).

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

  • Las Animas County     (The home county of Sopris)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sopris, with the one closest to Sopris listed first.
    • Starkville
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Trinidad
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Cokedale
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cokedale
      • Cokedale is located in Las Animas County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 121 people
    • Madrid ‑ Historic
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Madrid
      • Madrid is located in Las Animas County
    • Engleville
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Engleville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Engleville
      • Engleville is located in Las Animas County
    • Valdez
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valdez
      • Valdez is located in Las Animas County
    • El Moro
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for El Moro
      • El Moro is located in Las Animas County
    • Segundo
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • San Miguel ‑ Historic
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for San Miguel have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for San Miguel
      • San Miguel is located in Las Animas County
    • Boncarbo
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Boncarbo have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boncarbo
      • Boncarbo is located in Las Animas County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Boncarbo <2>
    • Ludlow ‑ Historic
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ludlow
      • Ludlow is located in Las Animas County
    • Hoehne
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hoehne have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hoehne
      • Hoehne is located in Las Animas County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hoehne <2>
  • Colfax County (NM)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Sopris, with the one closest to Sopris listed first.
    • Brilliant ‑ Historic
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brilliant
      • Brilliant is located in Colfax County (NM)
    • Raton
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raton
      • Raton is located in Colfax County (NM)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,923 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Raton <2>

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

Newspapers Published in Sopris ...

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 32 newspapers that have been published in the area around Sopris.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Sopris, there are papers which were published within 19 miles [30.6 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Sopris.

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 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 Sopris:

Cemeteries Near Sopris ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Sopris.

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

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

  • Carpios Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Carpios Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Carpios Cemetery
  • Vigil Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Vigil Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Vigil Cemetery
  • Jansen Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Jansen Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Jansen Cemetery
  • Starkville Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Starkville Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Starkville Cemetery
  • Masonic Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Tijeras Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Tijeras Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Tijeras Cemetery
  • Catholic Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Garcia Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Garcia Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Garcia Cemetery
  • Cordova Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cordova Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cordova Cemetery
  • Valdez Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Valdez Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Valdez Cemetery
  • Burro Canyon Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Burro Canyon Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Burro Canyon Cemetery
  • Gallegos Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Gallegos Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Gallegos Cemetery
  • Continue List   (36 more) ...
    • San Juan Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the San Juan Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the San Juan Cemetery
    • San Juan Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the San Juan Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the San Juan Cemetery
    • Rivera Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rivera Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rivera 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.

Sopris itself is historic and was described in the Rand McNally Atlas as having a population of 983 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.

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

  • Starkville
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Trinidad
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Madrid ‑ Historic
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Madrid
    • Madrid is located in Las Animas County
  • Engleville
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Engleville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Engleville
    • Engleville is located in Las Animas County
  • Morley
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Morley have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morley
    • Morley is located in Las Animas County
  • El Moro
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for El Moro
    • El Moro is located in Las Animas County
  • Forbes ‑ Historic
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Forbes have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Forbes
    • Forbes is located in Las Animas County
  • Wootton
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wootton have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wootton
    • Wootton is located in Las Animas County
  • Weston
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
  • Barela
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Barela have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barela
    • Barela is located in Las Animas County
  • Gulnare
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Raton
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raton
    • Raton is located in Colfax County (NM)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,923 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Raton <2>
  • Continue List   (8 more) ...
    • Aguilar
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Dillon
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dillon have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dillon
      • Dillon is located in Colfax County (NM)
    • Earl
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Earl have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Earl
      • Earl is located in Las Animas County

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

The official website for Las Animas County: www.tlac.net/county/

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 Sopris, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>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.
<4>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- Sopris) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Sopris. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 37.1357, Longitude: -104.5652       In this case, the coordinates for Sopris 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.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024