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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 Cresco (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 Cresco. 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 doctors and 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.

Cresco is located in Howard County and is the County Seat.

To see how the shape of Iowa's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Howard County: Chickasaw, Floyd, Mitchell, Winneshiek, Fillmore (MN) & Mower (MN).

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

  • Howard County     (The home county of Cresco)
  • Allamakee County
    • Quandahl
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Quandahl. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quandahl
      • Quandahl is located in Allamakee County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Quandahl
      • From Cresco to Quandahl
  • Chickasaw County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Cresco, with the one closest to Cresco listed first.
    • Jerico
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Jerico. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jerico
      • Jerico is located in Chickasaw County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Jerico
      • From Cresco to Jerico
    • Alta Vista
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Alta Vista have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alta Vista
      • Alta Vista is located in Chickasaw County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 248 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Alta Vista <2>
    • Lawler
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lawler have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawler
      • Lawler is located in Chickasaw County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 422 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lawler <2>
    • Deerfield
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Deerfield. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deerfield
      • Deerfield is located in Chickasaw County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Deerfield
      • From Cresco to Deerfield
    • New Hampton
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • North Washington
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Fredericksburg
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fredericksburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fredericksburg
      • Fredericksburg is located in Chickasaw County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 916 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fredericksburg <2>
    • Bassett
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Ionia
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Chickasaw
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Fayette County
  • Floyd County
    • Colwell
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Colwell have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colwell
      • Colwell is located in Floyd County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 67 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Colwell <2>
  • Mitchell County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Cresco, with the one closest to Cresco listed first.
    • McIntire
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • New Haven
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for New Haven. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Haven
      • New Haven is located in Mitchell County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to New Haven
      • From Cresco to New Haven
    • Meyer
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
    • Little Cedar
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Little Cedar have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Cedar
      • Little Cedar is located in Mitchell County
  • Winneshiek County
  • Fillmore County (MN)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Cresco, with the one closest to Cresco listed first.
    • Granger
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Granger. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Granger
      • Granger is located in Fillmore County (MN)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Granger
      • From Cresco to Granger
    • Harmony
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Harmony. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harmony
      • Harmony is located in Fillmore County (MN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 982 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Harmony <2>
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Harmony
      • From Cresco to Harmony
    • York
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for York. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for York
      • York is located in Fillmore County (MN)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to York
      • From Cresco to York
    • Canton
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Canton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canton
      • Canton is located in Fillmore County (MN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 342 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Canton <2>
    • Carimona
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Carimona. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carimona
      • Carimona is located in Fillmore County (MN)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Carimona
      • From Cresco to Carimona
    • Etna
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Preston
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Mabel
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Newburg
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Ostrander
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Lanesboro
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Wykoff
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wykoff have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wykoff
      • Wykoff is located in Fillmore County (MN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 431 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wykoff <2>
    • Fountain
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • 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 Fillmore County (MN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 398 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fountain <2>
  • Houston County (MN)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Cresco, with the one closest to Cresco listed first.
    • Riceford
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Spring Grove
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spring Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spring Grove
      • Spring Grove is located in Houston County (MN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,262 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Spring Grove <2>
    • Bee
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bee. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bee
      • Bee is located in Houston County (MN)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Bee
      • From Cresco to Bee
    • Willington Grove
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Yucatan
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Yucatan. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yucatan
      • Yucatan is located in Houston County (MN)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Yucatan
      • From Cresco to Yucatan
  • Mower County (MN)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Cresco, with the one closest to Cresco listed first.
    • Le Roy
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Taopi
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Taopi have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taopi
      • Taopi is located in Mower County (MN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 65 people

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

Cemeteries Near Cresco ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Cresco.

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

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

  • Oak Lawn Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oak Lawn Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oak Lawn Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Calvary Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Calvary Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Calvary Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • New Oregon Twp. Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the New Oregon Twp. Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the New Oregon Twp. Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • New Oregon Twp. Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the New Oregon Twp. Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the New Oregon Twp. Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Ryan Farm Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ryan Farm Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ryan Farm Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Eddy Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Eddy Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Eddy Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Phillips Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Phillips Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Phillips Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Howard Center Twp. Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Howard Center Twp. Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Howard Center Twp. Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Johns Lutheran Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Johns Lutheran Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Johns Lutheran Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • South Kratz Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the South Kratz Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the South Kratz Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • German Methodist Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the German Methodist Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the German Methodist Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Orleans Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Orleans Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Orleans Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (274 more) ...
    • Baethke Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Baethke Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Baethke Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Ferkindstad Farm Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ferkindstad Farm Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ferkindstad Farm Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • First Orleans Lutheran Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the First Orleans Lutheran Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the First Orleans Lutheran Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> 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.<4>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Cresco had a population of 2,018 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Cresco had a population of 3,744 people.

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

  • Bonair
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bonair have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bonair
    • Bonair is located in Howard County
  • Kendallville
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Ridgeway
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Florenceville
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Granger
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Granger. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Granger
    • Granger is located in Fillmore County (MN)
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Granger
    • From Cresco to Granger
  • Lime Springs
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Davis Corners
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Protivin
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
  • Bluffton
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
  • Lourdes
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lourdes have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lourdes
    • Lourdes is located in Howard County
  • Bristol
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bristol have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bristol
    • Bristol is located in Fillmore County (MN)
  • Saude
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saude have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saude
    • Saude is located in Chickasaw County
  • Continue List   (16 more) ...
    • Burr Oak
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Harmony
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Harmony. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harmony
      • Harmony is located in Fillmore County (MN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 982 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Harmony <2>
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Harmony
      • From Cresco to Harmony
    • York
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for York. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for York
      • York is located in Fillmore County (MN)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to York
      • From Cresco to York

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Cresco ...

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 92 newspapers that have been published in the area around Cresco.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Cresco. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Cresco and those printed in the larger area surrounding Cresco.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 28 miles [45.1 km]<5> of Cresco.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to start 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 Cresco:

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

The official website for State of Iowa: https://www.iowa.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>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 Cresco, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<5>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Cresco) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Cresco. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 43.3736, Longitude: -92.1163    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025