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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 Swanlake (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 Swanlake. 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 Swanlake ...

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.

Another variation: Swan Lake.

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 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.

Swanlake is located in Bannock County.

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

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Bannock County: Bingham, Caribou, Franklin, Oneida & Power.

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

  • Bannock County     (The home county of Swanlake)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Swanlake, with the one closest to Swanlake listed first.
    • Downey
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Arimo
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Arimo have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arimo
      • Arimo is located in Bannock County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 368 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Arimo <1>
    • Lava Hot Springs
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lava Hot Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lava Hot Springs
      • Lava Hot Springs is located in Bannock County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 431 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lava Hot Springs <1>
    • Robin
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • McCammon
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for McCammon have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McCammon
      • McCammon is located in Bannock County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 833 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for McCammon <1>
  • Bear Lake County
  • Caribou County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Swanlake, with the one closest to Swanlake listed first.
    • Bench
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Grace
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grace have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grace
      • Grace is located in Caribou County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 942 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Grace <1>
    • Bancroft
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bancroft have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bancroft
      • Bancroft is located in Caribou County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 395 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bancroft <1>
  • Franklin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Swanlake, with the one closest to Swanlake listed first.
    • Oxford
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Clifton
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Dayton
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dayton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dayton
      • Dayton is located in Franklin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 504 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dayton <1>
    • Thatcher
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Thatcher have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thatcher
      • Thatcher is located in Franklin County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Thatcher <1>
    • Preston
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Preston have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Preston
      • Preston is located in Franklin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,678 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Preston <1>
    • Weston
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Weston have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weston
      • Weston is located in Franklin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 482 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Weston <1>
    • Whitney
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Utida
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Utida. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Utida
      • Utida is located in Franklin County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Utida
      • From Swanlake to Utida
    • Cherryville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Franklin
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Franklin have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franklin
      • Franklin is located in Franklin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 857 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Franklin <1>
  • Oneida County
  • Power County
  • Box Elder County (UT)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Swanlake, with the one closest to Swanlake listed first.
    • Portage Old Fort ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Portage
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Fort Malad ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Fort Malad. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Malad
      • Fort Malad is located in Box Elder County (UT)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Fort Malad
      • From Swanlake to Fort Malad
    • Washakie
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Washakie. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Washakie
      • Washakie is located in Box Elder County (UT)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Washakie
      • From Swanlake to Washakie
  • Cache County (UT)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Swanlake, with the one closest to Swanlake listed first.
    • Utida
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Utida. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Utida
      • Utida is located in Cache County (UT)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Utida
      • From Swanlake to Utida
    • Cornish
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Lewiston
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Morton
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Cove
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cove have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cove
      • Cove is located in Cache County (UT)
    • Clarkston
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clarkston have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarkston
      • Clarkston is located in Cache County (UT)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 746 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clarkston <1>
    • Trenton
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
    • Richmond
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Richmond have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richmond
      • Richmond is located in Cache County (UT)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,899 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Richmond <1>

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

Cemeteries Near Swanlake ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Swanlake.

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

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

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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Swanlake had a population of 49 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service.

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

  • Downey
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Malad City
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Malad City have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Malad City
    • Malad City is located in Oneida County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,117 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Malad City <1>
  • Saint Johns
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Preston
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Preston have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Preston
    • Preston is located in Franklin County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,678 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Preston <1>
  • Cherry Creek
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
  • Anderson
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Anderson have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anderson
    • Anderson is located in Franklin County
  • Samaria
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Samaria have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Samaria
    • Samaria is located in Oneida County
  • Franklin
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Franklin have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franklin
    • Franklin is located in Franklin County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 857 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Franklin <1>
  • Lewiston
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
  • McCammon
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for McCammon have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for McCammon
    • McCammon is located in Bannock County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 833 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for McCammon <1>
  • Portage
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Cove
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cove have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cove
    • Cove is located in Cache County (UT)
  • Continue List   (6 more) ...
    • Washakie
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Washakie. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Washakie
      • Washakie is located in Box Elder County (UT)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Washakie
      • From Swanlake to Washakie
    • Clarkston
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clarkston have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarkston
      • Clarkston is located in Cache County (UT)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 746 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clarkston <1>
    • Trenton
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)

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

Newspapers Published in Swanlake ...

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 10 newspapers that have been published in the area around Swanlake.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Swanlake, 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 Swanlake.

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 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 Swanlake:

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

The official website for Bannock County: www.co.bannock.id.us/

The official website for State of Idaho: https://idaho.gov/

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 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.
<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>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 Swanlake, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>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 drawn from Point A (ie- Swanlake) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Swanlake. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 42.3132, Longitude: -112.0028    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025