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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 Bates 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 Bates 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 Bates 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.

  • A typical abbreviation for Bates Junction: Bates Jct. (or less commonly used: Bates Jctn.)
  • While the name of this community is Bates Junction, be aware that it's the common practice of mapmakers to remove the apostrophe from possessive names<1>. So Bates Junction may originally have been Bate's Junction.

    Sometimes the trailing 's' might be dropped altogether, in which case Bates Junction might be written as Bate Junction.

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 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.

Bates Junction is located in Iron County.

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

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Iron County: Baraga, Dickinson, Gogebic, Houghton, Marquette, Ontonagon, Florence (WI), Forest (WI) & Vilas (WI).

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

  • Iron County     (The home county of Bates Junction)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bates Junction, with the one closest to Bates Junction listed first.
    • Iron River
      (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Iron River have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iron River
      • Iron River is located in Iron County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,827 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Iron River <3>
    • Gaastra
      (Less than 2 miles to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gaastra have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gaastra
      • Gaastra is located in Iron County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 324 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gaastra <3>
    • Stambaugh
      (Less than 2 miles to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stambaugh have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stambaugh
      • Stambaugh is located in Iron County
    • Mineral Hills
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mineral Hills have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mineral Hills
      • Mineral Hills is located in Iron County
    • Caspian
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Chicagon
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Chicagon. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chicagon
      • Chicagon is located in Iron County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Chicagon
      • From Bates Junction to Chicagon
    • Pentoga
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Atkinson ‑ Historic
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Atkinson. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atkinson
      • Atkinson is located in Iron County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Atkinson
      • From Bates Junction to Atkinson
    • Gibbs City ‑ Historic
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Alpha
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Clinch ‑ Historic
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Clinch. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clinch
      • Clinch is located in Iron County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Clinch
      • From Bates Junction to Clinch
    • Crystal Falls
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
    • Amasa
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Dickinson County
  • Gogebic County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bates Junction, with the one closest to Bates Junction listed first.
    • Katakitckon Indian Village
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Katakitckon Indian Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Katakitckon Indian Village
      • Katakitckon Indian Village is located in Gogebic County
    • Fuller
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Fuller. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fuller
      • Fuller is located in Gogebic County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Fuller
      • From Bates Junction to Fuller
    • Watersmeet
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Houghton County
  • Florence County (WI)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Bates Junction, with the one closest to Bates Junction listed first.
    • Tipler
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Fern ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Fern. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fern
      • Fern is located in Florence County (WI)
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Fern
      • From Bates Junction to Fern
    • Florence
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Commonwealth
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Spread Eagle
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Forest County (WI)
  • Vilas County (WI)

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

Cemeteries Near Bates Junction ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Bates 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 Bates Junction covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Stambaugh Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
  • Iron River Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Stambaugh Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Stambaugh Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Stambaugh Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Bates Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bates Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bates Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Resthaven Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Resthaven Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Resthaven Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Indian Burial Ground
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Indian Burial Ground
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Indian Burial Ground have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Martin Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Martin Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Martin Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Rosehill Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Hematite Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hematite Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hematite Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Lakeview Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lakeview Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lakeview Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Crystal Falls City Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Crystal Falls City Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Crystal Falls City Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Long Lake Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Long Lake Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Long Lake Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • St. Marys Cemetery
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Marys Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Marys Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Woodlawn Cemetery
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Woodlawn Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Woodlawn Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Forest Home Cemetery
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Forest Home Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Forest Home Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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.<6>

While we didn't find Bates Junction in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Bates Junction.

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

  • Stambaugh
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stambaugh have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stambaugh
    • Stambaugh is located in Iron County
  • Iron River
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Iron River have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iron River
    • Iron River is located in Iron County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,827 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Iron River <3>
  • Beechwood
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Beechwood have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beechwood
    • Beechwood is located in Iron County
  • Atkinson ‑ Historic
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Atkinson. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Atkinson
    • Atkinson is located in Iron County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Atkinson
    • From Bates Junction to Atkinson
  • Crystal Falls
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
  • Amasa
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Stager
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Stager. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stager
    • Stager is located in Iron County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Stager
    • From Bates Junction to Stager
  • Mastodon
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Mastodon. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mastodon
    • Mastodon is located in Iron County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Mastodon
    • From Bates Junction to Mastodon
  • Panola
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Panola have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Panola
    • Panola is located in Iron County
  • Elmwood
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elmwood have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmwood
    • Elmwood is located in Iron County
  • Ridgetop
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ridgetop have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridgetop
    • Ridgetop is located in Florence County (WI)
  • Florence
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (11 more) ...

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

Newspapers Published in Bates 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 13 newspapers that have been published in the area around Bates Junction.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Bates Junction, there are papers which were published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<7>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Bates 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 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 Bates Junction:

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

The official website for Iron County: www.iron.org/

The official website for State of Michigan: https://www.michigan.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>It's generally believed that possessive apostrophes are removed to prevent confusion on maps where the apostrophe may be confused with a cartographic symbol. While this is generally true, it's not uncommon to find possessive apostrophes in administrative names (such as towns or counties).
<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>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<4>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.
<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 Bates Junction, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<7>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 from Point A (ie- Bates Junction) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Bates Junction. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 46.0872, Longitude: -88.6012       In this case, the coordinates for Bates Junction have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025