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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 Vance Junction (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 Vance Junction. 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 Vance Junction ...

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.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Vance Junction: Vance Jct. (or less commonly used: Vance Jctn.)

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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors 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.

Vance Junction 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 Vance Junction. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Vance Junction:

  • San Miguel County     (The home county of Vance Junction)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vance Junction, with the one closest to Vance Junction listed first.
    • Keystone ‑ Historic
      (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keystone
      • Keystone is located in San Miguel County
    • Mountain Village
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mountain Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>
    • San Miguel ‑ Historic
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for San Miguel
      • San Miguel is located in San Miguel County
    • Alta ‑ Historic
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alta
      • Alta is located in San Miguel County
    • Telluride
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Vanadium ‑ Historic
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vanadium
      • Vanadium is located in San Miguel County
    • Liberty Bell ‑ Historic
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty Bell
      • Liberty Bell is located in San Miguel County
    • Pandora
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pandora
      • Pandora is located in San Miguel County
    • Ophir
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ophir
      • Ophir is located in San Miguel County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 190 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ophir <2>
    • Tomboy ‑ Historic
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tomboy have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tomboy
      • Tomboy is located in San Miguel County
    • Sawpit
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sawpit
      • Sawpit is located in San Miguel County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 38 people
      • Sawpit has also been known as:
      • Saw Pit
    • Placerville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Dolores County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vance Junction, with the one closest to Vance Junction listed first.
    • Dunton ‑ Historic
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dunton
      • Dunton is located in Dolores County
    • Rico
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rico have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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 <2>
  • Hinsdale County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vance Junction, with the one closest to Vance Junction listed first.
    • Capitol City ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Capitol City
      • Capitol City is located in Hinsdale County
    • Carson ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carson
      • Carson is located in Hinsdale County
    • Old Carson ‑ Historic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Old Carson
      • Old Carson is located in Hinsdale County
  • La Plata County
    • Rockwood
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockwood
      • Rockwood is located in La Plata County
  • Montrose County
    • Ute
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ute
      • Ute is located in Montrose County
  • Ouray County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vance Junction, with the one closest to Vance Junction listed first.
    • Red Mountain ‑ Historic
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Mountain
      • Red Mountain is located in Ouray County
    • Ouray
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Ridgway
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Loghill Village
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Loghill Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Loghill Village
      • Loghill Village is located in Ouray County
    • Dallas
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dallas
      • Dallas is located in Ouray County
    • Eldredge
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eldredge
      • Eldredge is located in Ouray County
    • Colona
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colona
      • Colona is located in Ouray County
  • San Juan County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Vance Junction, with the one closest to Vance Junction listed first.
    • Chattanooga ‑ Historic
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chattanooga
      • Chattanooga is located in San Juan County
    • Graysill ‑ Historic
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Graysill. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Graysill
      • Graysill is located in San Juan County
    • Silverton
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Animas Forks ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Animas Forks
      • Animas Forks is located in San Juan County
    • Howardsville ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Howardsville
      • Howardsville is located in San Juan County
    • Eureka ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eureka
      • Eureka is located in San Juan County

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

Newspapers Published in Vance Junction ...

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 77 newspapers that have been published in the area around Vance Junction.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Vance Junction, there are papers which were published within 25 miles [40.2 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Vance Junction.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we start 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 Vance Junction:

Cemeteries Near Vance Junction ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Vance Junction.

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

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

  • Lone Tree Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lone Tree Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lone Tree Cemetery
  • Lone Tree Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Hillside Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Cedar Hill Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cedar Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cedar Hill Cemetery
  • Dallas Park Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Dallas Park Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Dallas Park Cemetery
  • Dallas Park Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Dallas Park Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Dallas Park Cemetery
  • Rico Cemetery
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rico Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rico Cemetery
  • Norwood Cemetery
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
  • Colona Cemetery
    (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Colona Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Colona Cemetery
  • Nash Cemetery
    (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Nash Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Nash 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.<6>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Vance Junction had railroad service and no post office.

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

  • Ilium
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ilium have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ilium
    • Ilium is located in San Miguel County
  • San Miguel ‑ Historic
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for San Miguel
    • San Miguel is located in San Miguel County
  • Ames ‑ Historic
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ames have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ames
    • Ames is located in San Miguel County
  • Telluride
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Pandora
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pandora
    • Pandora is located in San Miguel County
  • Ophir
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ophir
    • Ophir is located in San Miguel County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 190 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ophir <2>
  • Chattanooga ‑ Historic
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chattanooga
    • Chattanooga is located in San Juan County
  • Red Mountain ‑ Historic
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Mountain
    • Red Mountain is located in Ouray County
  • Placerville
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Ironton ‑ Historic
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ironton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ironton
    • Ironton is located in Ouray County
  • Leonard ‑ Historic
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Leonard have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leonard
    • Leonard is located in San Miguel County
  • Ouray
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (11 more) ...
    • Portland
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Portland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Portland
      • Portland is located in Ouray County
    • Silverton
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Howardsville ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Howardsville
      • Howardsville is located in San Juan County

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

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Vance Junction. 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>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<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>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 drawn from Point A (ie- Vance Junction) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Vance Junction. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 37.9289, Longitude: -107.8977       In this case, the coordinates for Vance Junction 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.
<6>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 Vance Junction, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024