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 Vail (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 Vail. 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.
Vail is located in Eagle 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 Eagle County: Garfield, Grand, Lake, Pitkin, Routt & Summit.
Below are the counties that are near Vail. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Vail:
- Eagle County (The home county of Vail)
- The following are listed by their distance from Vail, with the one closest to Vail listed first.
- Bighorn
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
- Bighorn is located in Eagle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bighorn
- Minturn
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Astor City ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
- Astor City is located in Eagle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Astor City
- Gilman ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Gilman is located in Eagle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilman
- Red Cliff
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Avon
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Beaver Creek
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Edwards
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Camp Hale ‑ Historic
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Camp Hale is located in Eagle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Camp Hale
- Pando ‑ Historic
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Pando is located in Eagle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pando
- Holy Cross City ‑ Historic
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Holy Cross City is located in Eagle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holy Cross City
- Mitchell
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Mitchell is located in Eagle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mitchell
- Wolcott
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Clear Creek County
- The following are listed by their distance from Vail, with the one closest to Vail listed first.
- Bakerville
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Bakerville is located in Clear Creek County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bakerville
- Berthoud Falls
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
- Berthoud Falls is located in Clear Creek County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berthoud Falls
- Grand County
- The following are listed by their distance from Vail, with the one closest to Vail listed first.
- Kremmling
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Parshall
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
- Lake County
- The following are listed by their distance from Vail, with the one closest to Vail listed first.
- Climax ‑ Historic
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Climax is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Climax
- Leadville
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Malta ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Malta is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Malta
- Oro City ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
- Oro City is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oro City
- Park County
- The following are listed by their distance from Vail, with the one closest to Vail listed first.
- Buckskin Joe ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Buckskin Joe is located in Park County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckskin Joe
- Park City ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Park City is located in Park County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Park City
- Alma
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Alma Junction
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Alma Junction is located in Park County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alma Junction
- Pitkin County
- The following are listed by their distance from Vail, with the one closest to Vail listed first.
- Biglow
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Biglow is located in Pitkin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Biglow
- Norrie
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Norrie is located in Pitkin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norrie
- Thomasville ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Thomasville is located in Pitkin County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thomasville
- Meredith
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Summit County
- The following are listed by their distance from Vail, with the one closest to Vail listed first.
- Frisco
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Wildernest
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Copper Mountain
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
- Silverthorne
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Heeney
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Dillon
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Kokomo ‑ Historic
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Kokomo is located in Summit County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kokomo
- Breckenridge
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Mayflower Gulch ‑ Historic
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Mayflower Gulch is located in Summit County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayflower Gulch
- Keystone
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Wild Irishman ‑ Historic
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Wild Irishman is located in Summit County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wild Irishman
- Wild Irishman has also been known as:
- Preston Mill
- Preston
- Blue River
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Blue River is located in Summit County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blue River
- Population from the 2020 Census: 928 people
- Swandyke ‑ Historic
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
- Swandyke is located in Summit County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swandyke
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Vail, see our County-by-County Page for Vail.
Cemeteries Near Vail ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Vail.
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 Vail - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Vail covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Vail, with the one closest to Vail listed first.
- River View Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Greenwood Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Edwards Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
- Brett Family Cemetery
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
- Gold Park Cemetery
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Dillon Cemetery
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Valley Brook Cemetery
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Sheephorn Cemetery
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Burtcher Gravesite
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burtcher Gravesite
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Burtcher Gravesite is located 9 miles [14.5 km]<3> to the south of Parshall.
- Evergreen Cemetery
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evergreen Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Evergreen Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the west of Leadville.
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #57260 <2>
- McCoy Cemetery
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Mt. Holy Cross Cemetery
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Continue List (9 more) ...
- St. Joseph Cemetery
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for St. Joseph Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the St. Joseph Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the west of Leadville.
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #57530 <2>
- Leadville City Cemetery
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Leadville Hebrew Cemetery
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leadville Hebrew Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Leadville Hebrew Cemetery is located outside and to the west of Leadville.
- The Leadville Hebrew Cemetery has also been known as:
- Hebrew Cemetery of Leadville
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2209837 <2>
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.<4>
While we didn't find Vail in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Vail.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Vail, with the one closest to Vail listed first.
- Minturn
(5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
- Gilman ‑ Historic
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Gilman is located in Eagle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilman
- Belden
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Belden is located in Eagle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belden
- Red Cliff
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Avon
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Edwards
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
- Pando ‑ Historic
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Pando is located in Eagle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pando
- Frisco
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Holy Cross City ‑ Historic
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Holy Cross City is located in Eagle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holy Cross City
- Mitchell
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
- Mitchell is located in Eagle County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mitchell
- Kokomo ‑ Historic
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
- Kokomo is located in Summit County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kokomo
- Dillon
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Continue List (13 more) ...
- Wolcott
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Breckenridge
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
- Climax ‑ Historic
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
- Climax is located in Lake County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Climax
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Vail. See our List of 1890's Communities around Vail.
Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Vail ...
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 43 newspapers that have been published in the area around Vail.
We have organized these newspapers into two lists:
- A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Vail. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Vail and those printed in the larger area surrounding Vail.
- An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<3> of Vail.
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 professional and volunteer 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 Vail:
- Websites specific to Colorado
- Pages specific to Eagle County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Clear Creek County
- Grand County
- Lake County
- Park County
- Pitkin County
- Summit County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Colorado
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> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a '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- Vail) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <4> | 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 Vail, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |