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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 Widefield (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 Widefield. 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 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.

Widefield is located in El Paso 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 El Paso County: Crowley, Douglas, Elbert, Fremont, Lincoln, Pueblo & Teller.

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

  • El Paso County     (The home county of Widefield)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Widefield, with the one closest to Widefield listed first.
    • Fountain
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fountain have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fountain
      • Fountain is located in El Paso County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 31,017 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fountain <2>
    • Fort Carson
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Stratmoor
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stratmoor have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stratmoor
      • Stratmoor is located in El Paso County
    • Cimarron Hills
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cimarron Hills have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cimarron Hills
      • Cimarron Hills is located in El Paso County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cimarron Hills <2>
    • Colorado Springs
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colorado Springs
      • Colorado Springs is located in El Paso County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 482,131 people
      • Former names for Colorado Springs:
      • El Paso
      • Fountain Colony
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Colorado Springs <2>
    • Manitou Springs
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Falcon
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Henkel
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Henkel have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Henkel
      • Henkel is located in El Paso County
    • Cascade
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Ellicott
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ellicott
      • Ellicott is located in El Paso County
    • Black Forest
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Black Forest have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Forest
      • Black Forest is located in El Paso County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Black Forest <2>
    • Chipita Park
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
  • Fremont County
  • Pueblo County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Widefield, with the one closest to Widefield listed first.
    • Pinon
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pinon
      • Pinon is located in Pueblo County
    • Stone City
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stone City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stone City
      • Stone City is located in Pueblo County
    • Pueblo West
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pueblo West have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pueblo West
      • Pueblo West is located in Pueblo County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pueblo West <2>
  • Teller County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Widefield, with the one closest to Widefield listed first.
    • Goldfield
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goldfield
      • Goldfield is located in Teller County
    • Independence ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Independence have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Independence
      • Independence is located in Teller County
    • Victor
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Cripple Creek
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Woodland Park
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Woodland Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodland Park
      • Woodland Park is located in Teller County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,151 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Woodland Park <2>
    • Divide
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Divide have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Divide
      • Divide is located in Teller County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Divide <2>

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

Newspapers Published in Widefield ...

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 142 newspapers that have been published in the area around Widefield.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Widefield, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Widefield.

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 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 Widefield:

Cemeteries Near Widefield ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Widefield.

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

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

  • Fairview Cemetery at Fountain
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
  • Pikes Peak National Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Memorial Gardens Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Shrine of Rest Mausoleum
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Evergreen Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Sons of Israel Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Bouma / Briggs Grave
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Bouma / Briggs Grave. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<5>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bouma / Briggs Grave
  • Henry Harkins Gravesite
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Henry Harkins Gravesite. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<5>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Henry Harkins Gravesite
  • Paupers' Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Helen Hunt Jackson Memorial
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Helen Hunt Jackson Memorial. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<5>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Helen Hunt Jackson Memorial
  • Jackson Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Jackson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Jackson Cemetery
  • Fairview Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (34 more) ...
    • Wilson Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • The Wilson Cemetery has also been known as:
      • Butte Cemetery
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wilson Cemetery
    • Pioneer Park Memorial
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Crystal Valley Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)

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, Widefield had railroad service and no post office.

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

  • Fountain
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fountain have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fountain
    • Fountain is located in El Paso County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 31,017 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fountain <2>
  • Kelker
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kelker have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kelker
    • Kelker is located in El Paso County
  • Elsmere
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elsmere have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elsmere
    • Elsmere is located in El Paso County
  • Colorado Springs
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colorado Springs
    • Colorado Springs is located in El Paso County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 482,131 people
    • Former names for Colorado Springs:
    • El Paso
    • Fountain Colony
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Colorado Springs <2>
  • Ivywild
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ivywild have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ivywild
    • Ivywild is located in El Paso County
  • Buttes
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Buttes have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buttes
    • Buttes is located in El Paso County
  • Pikeview
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pikeview have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pikeview
    • Pikeview is located in El Paso County
  • Manitou Springs
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
  • Wigwam
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wigwam have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wigwam
    • Wigwam is located in El Paso County
  • Falcon
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
  • Pinon
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pinon
    • Pinon is located in Pueblo County
  • Green Mountain Falls
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (6 more) ...
    • Peyton
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Peyton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Peyton
      • Peyton is located in El Paso County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Peyton <2>
    • Eastonville ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eastonville
      • Eastonville is located in El Paso County
    • Monument
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)

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

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

The official website for El Paso County: www.elpasoco.com/

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>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 from Point A (ie- Widefield) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Widefield. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 38.7372, Longitude: -104.7191    
<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>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.
<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 Widefield, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024