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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 Summer Lake (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 Summer Lake. 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 Summer Lake ...

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 occur.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Summer Lake: Summer Lk.

You might be interested in other communities that are also named Summer Lake. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Summer Lake.

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 northwest 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 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 west 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.

Summer Lake is located in Arapahoe 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 Arapahoe County: Adams, Denver, Douglas, Elbert, Jefferson, Lincoln & Washington.

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

  • Arapahoe County     (The home county of Summer Lake)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Summer Lake, with the one closest to Summer Lake listed first.
    • Foxfield
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
      • Foxfield is located in Arapahoe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Foxfield
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 771 people
    • Somerset Village
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
      • Somerset Village is located in Arapahoe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Somerset Village
    • Sableridge
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Sableridge is located in Arapahoe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sableridge
    • Algonquin Acres
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Algonquin Acres is located in Arapahoe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Algonquin Acres
    • Hallcrafts Village East
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Settlers Village
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Settlers Village is located in Arapahoe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Settlers Village
    • Havana Village
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Havana Village is located in Arapahoe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Havana Village
    • Old Towne
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Old Towne is located in Arapahoe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Towne
    • Centennial
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Altura
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Altura is located in Arapahoe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Altura
    • Aurora
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Aurora is located in Arapahoe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aurora
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 387,377 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Aurora <1>
    • Castlewood
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Castlewood is located in Arapahoe County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Castlewood
    • Greenwood Village
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Adams County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Summer Lake, with the one closest to Summer Lake listed first.
    • Friendly Village
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Friendly Village is located in Adams County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Friendly Village
    • Hillcrest Village
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Hillcrest Village is located in Adams County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillcrest Village
    • Watkins
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Adams City
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Adams City is located in Adams County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adams City
    • Dupont
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Derby
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Derby is located in Adams County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Derby
    • North Washington
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • North Washington is located in Adams County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Washington
    • Commerce City
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Berkley
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Berkley is located in Adams County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berkley
    • Welby
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Welby is located in Adams County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Welby
    • Hidden Lake
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Hidden Lake is located in Adams County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hidden Lake
    • Sherrelwood
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Sherrelwood is located in Adams County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sherrelwood
    • Twin Lakes
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Twin Lakes is located in Adams County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twin Lakes
  • Boulder County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Summer Lake, with the one closest to Summer Lake listed first.
    • Superior
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Lafayette
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Louisville
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Broomfield County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Summer Lake, with the one closest to Summer Lake listed first.
    • Broomfield Heights
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Broomfield Heights is located in Broomfield County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Broomfield Heights
    • Broomfield
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Denver County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Summer Lake, with the one closest to Summer Lake listed first.
    • Montbello
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Cherry Creek
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Cherry Creek is located in Denver County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherry Creek
    • Sandown
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Sandown is located in Denver County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sandown
    • Denver
      (14 miles [22.5 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
      (15 miles [24.1 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 Summer Lake, with the one closest to Summer Lake listed first.
    • Cottonwood
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Cottonwood is located in Douglas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cottonwood
    • Pine Valley
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Pine Valley is located in Douglas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Valley
    • Stonegate
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Stonegate is located in Douglas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stonegate
    • Grand View Estates
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Grand View Estates is located in Douglas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grand View Estates
    • Meridian
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Meridian is located in Douglas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Meridian
    • Parker
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Acres Green
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Heritage Hills
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Heritage Hills is located in Douglas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heritage Hills
    • Cherry Creek Highlands
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Gateway
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Gateway is located in Douglas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gateway
    • Lone Tree
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Carriage Club
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Carriage Club is located in Douglas County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carriage Club
    • Highlands Ranch
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Elbert County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Summer Lake, with the one closest to Summer Lake listed first.
    • Ponderosa Park
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Ponderosa Park is located in Elbert County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ponderosa Park
    • Elizabeth
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Kiowa
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Jefferson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Summer Lake, with the one closest to Summer Lake listed first.
    • Columbine
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Columbine is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Columbine
    • Edgewater
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Archer
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Archer is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Archer
    • Lakewood
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Lakeside
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Mountain View
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Mountain View is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mountain View
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 549 people
    • Ken Caryl
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Wheat Ridge
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Green Mountain Village
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Arvada
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Arvada is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arvada
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 121,936 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Arvada <1>
    • Applewood Village
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Applewood Village is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Applewood Village
    • East Pleasant View
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • East Pleasant View is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Pleasant View
    • Applewood
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Applewood is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Applewood
  • Weld County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Summer Lake, with the one closest to Summer Lake listed first.
    • Lochbuie
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Lochbuie is located in Weld County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lochbuie
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 7,885 people
    • Wattenberg
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Wattenberg is located in Weld County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wattenberg
    • Fort Lupton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)

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

Cemeteries Near Summer Lake ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Summer Lake.

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 Summer Lake - one of the links might be able to help.

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Summer Lake, with the one closest to Summer Lake 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.<3>

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

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

  • Aurora
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Aurora is located in Arapahoe County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aurora
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 387,377 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Aurora <1>
  • Sullivan
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Sullivan is located in Arapahoe County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sullivan
  • Parker
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Hilltop
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Hilltop is located in Douglas County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hilltop
  • Littleton
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
  • Denver
    (14 miles [22.5 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>
  • Fort Logan ‑ Historic
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Fort Logan is located in Arapahoe County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Logan
  • Acequia
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Acequia is located in Douglas County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Acequia
  • West Denver
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • West Denver is located in Denver County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Denver
  • Franktown
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
  • Archer
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Archer is located in Jefferson County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Archer
  • Sedalia
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Castle Rock
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Elizabeth
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Arvada
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Arvada is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arvada
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 121,936 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Arvada <1>

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

Newspapers Published in Summer Lake ...

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 392 newspapers that have been published in the area around Summer Lake.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Summer Lake, there are papers which were published within 14 miles [22.5 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Summer Lake.

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 Summer Lake:

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 Summer Lake, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<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 drawn from Point A (ie- Summer Lake) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.