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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 Westplains (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 Westplains. 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 southwest 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 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 west 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.

Westplains is located in Logan 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 Logan County: Morgan, Phillips, Sedgwick, Washington, Weld, Yuma, Cheyenne (NE) & Kimball (NE).

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

  • Logan County     (The home county of Westplains)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Westplains, with the one closest to Westplains listed first.
    • Buchanan ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Buchanan. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buchanan
      • Buchanan is located in Logan County
    • Padroni
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Peetz
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Willard ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Willard. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willard
      • Willard is located in Logan County
    • Iliff
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Sterling
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sterling have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sterling
      • Sterling is located in Logan County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 14,078 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sterling <2>
    • Atwood
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Merino
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
  • Washington County
    • Messex
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Messex
      • Messex is located in Washington County
  • Weld County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Westplains, with the one closest to Westplains listed first.
    • Avalo
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Avalo. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Avalo
      • Avalo is located in Weld County
      • Former name for Avalo:
      • Greasewood Flats
    • Stoneham
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stoneham have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stoneham
      • Stoneham is located in Weld County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Stoneham <2>
    • Raymer
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raymer
      • Raymer is located in Weld County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 120 people
      • Raymer has also been known as:
      • New Raymer
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Raymer <2>
  • Cheyenne County (NE)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Westplains, with the one closest to Westplains listed first.
    • Lorenzo
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lorenzo
      • Lorenzo is located in Cheyenne County (NE)
    • Potter
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Potter
      • Potter is located in Cheyenne County (NE)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 298 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Potter <2>
    • Brownson
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownson
      • Brownson is located in Cheyenne County (NE)
  • Kimball County (NE)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Westplains, with the one closest to Westplains listed first.
    • Dix
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dix
      • Dix is located in Kimball County (NE)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 216 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dix <2>
    • Kimball
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kimball
      • Kimball is located in Kimball County (NE)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,282 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kimball <2>

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

Cemeteries Near Westplains ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Westplains.

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

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

  • Liberty Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
  • Prairie View Cemetery
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
  • Sunset Memorial Gardens Cemetery
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sunset Memorial Gardens Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sunset Memorial Gardens Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Prairie Lawn Cemetery
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Prairie Lawn Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Prairie Lawn Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Peetz Cemetery
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Peetz Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Peetz Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Raymer Cemetery
    (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
  • Riverside Cemetery
    (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Riverside Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Riverside Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Sunnyside Cemetery
    (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
  • Dix Rural Cemetery
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
  • Potter Community Cemetery
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
  • Kimball Cemetery
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
  • Merino Cemetery
    (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Merino Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Merino Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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 Westplains in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Westplains.

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

  • Stoneham
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stoneham have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stoneham
    • Stoneham is located in Weld County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Stoneham <2>
  • Willard ‑ Historic
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Willard. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willard
    • Willard is located in Logan County
  • Sterling
    (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sterling have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sterling
    • Sterling is located in Logan County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 14,078 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sterling <2>
  • Iliff
    (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
  • Atwood
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
  • Raymer
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Raymer
    • Raymer is located in Weld County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 120 people
    • Raymer has also been known as:
    • New Raymer
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Raymer <2>
  • Jacinto
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jacinto have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jacinto
    • Jacinto is located in Kimball County (NE)
  • Dix
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dix
    • Dix is located in Kimball County (NE)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 216 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dix <2>
  • Potter
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Potter
    • Potter is located in Cheyenne County (NE)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 298 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Potter <2>
  • Owasco
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Owasco have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Owasco
    • Owasco is located in Kimball County (NE)
  • Kimball
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kimball
    • Kimball is located in Kimball County (NE)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,282 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kimball <2>
  • Merino
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
  • Galien
    (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Galien have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galien
    • Galien is located in Logan County
  • Proctor ‑ Historic
    (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Proctor have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Proctor
    • Proctor is located in Logan County

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

Newspapers Published in Westplains ...

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 30 newspapers that have been published in the area around Westplains.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Westplains, there are papers which were published within 27 miles [43.5 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Westplains.

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 Westplains:

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

The official website for Logan County: www.loganco.gov/

The official website for State of Colorado: https://www.colorado.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<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>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 Westplains, 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 drawn from Point A (ie- Westplains) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Westplains. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 40.8647, Longitude: -103.4977       In this case, the coordinates for Westplains have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025