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 Cerro Gordo (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 Cerro Gordo. 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 hospitals and doctors 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.
Cerro Gordo is located in Lac qui Parle County.
To see how the shape of Minnesota's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Lac qui Parle County: Big Stone, Chippewa, Swift, Yellow Medicine, Deuel (SD) & Grant (SD).
Below are the counties that are near Cerro Gordo. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Cerro Gordo:
- Lac qui Parle County (The home county of Cerro Gordo)
- The following are listed by their distance from Cerro Gordo, with the one closest to Cerro Gordo listed first.
- Dawson
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dawson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dawson
- Dawson is located in Lac qui Parle County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,378 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dawson <2>
- Madison
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Madison have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Madison
- Madison is located in Lac qui Parle County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,376 people
- Louisburg
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Louisburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Louisburg
- Louisburg is located in Lac qui Parle County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 43 people
- Bellingham
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bellingham have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellingham
- Bellingham is located in Lac qui Parle County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 147 people
- Providence
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Providence. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Providence
- Providence is located in Lac qui Parle County
- Boyd
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Boyd have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boyd
- Boyd is located in Lac qui Parle County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 154 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Boyd <2>
- Marietta
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marietta have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marietta
- Marietta is located in Lac qui Parle County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 138 people
- Nassau
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nassau have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nassau
- Nassau is located in Lac qui Parle County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 66 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Nassau <2>
- Big Stone County
- The following are listed by their distance from Cerro Gordo, with the one closest to Cerro Gordo listed first.
- Correll
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Correll have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Correll
- Correll is located in Big Stone County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 31 people
- Odessa
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Odessa have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Odessa
- Odessa is located in Big Stone County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 131 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Odessa <2>
- Ortonville
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ortonville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ortonville
- Ortonville is located in Big Stone County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,748 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ortonville <2>
- Chippewa County
- The following are listed by their distance from Cerro Gordo, with the one closest to Cerro Gordo listed first.
- Milan
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Watson
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Watson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watson
- Watson is located in Chippewa County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 192 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Watson <2>
- Big Bend City
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Big Bend City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Big Bend City
- Big Bend City is located in Chippewa County
- Montevideo
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Maynard
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Maynard have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maynard
- Maynard is located in Chippewa County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 344 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Maynard <2>
- Swift County
- The following are listed by their distance from Cerro Gordo, with the one closest to Cerro Gordo listed first.
- Appleton
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Holloway
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Holloway have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holloway
- Holloway is located in Swift County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 85 people
- Danvers
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Danvers have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Danvers
- Danvers is located in Swift County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 89 people
- Benson
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
- Clontarf
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clontarf have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clontarf
- Clontarf is located in Swift County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 158 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clontarf <2>
- De Graff
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for De Graff have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for De Graff
- De Graff is located in Swift County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 120 people
- Yellow Medicine County
- The following are listed by their distance from Cerro Gordo, with the one closest to Cerro Gordo listed first.
- Clarkfield
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clarkfield have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarkfield
- Clarkfield is located in Yellow Medicine County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 775 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clarkfield <2>
- Saint Leo
(23 miles [37 km] to the south)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint Leo have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Leo
- Saint Leo is located in Yellow Medicine County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 90 people
- Hazel Run
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hazel Run have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hazel Run
- Hazel Run is located in Yellow Medicine County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 56 people
- Canby
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canby
- Canby is located in Yellow Medicine County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,645 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Canby <2>
- Granite Falls
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Porter
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Porter have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Porter
- Porter is located in Yellow Medicine County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 164 people
- Deuel County (SD)
- The following are listed by their distance from Cerro Gordo, with the one closest to Cerro Gordo listed first.
- Gary
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gary have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gary
- Gary is located in Deuel County (SD)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 229 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gary <2>
- Moritz
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moritz
- Moritz is located in Deuel County (SD)
- Estimated population in 2011: 13 people
- Grant County (SD)
- The following are listed by their distance from Cerro Gordo, with the one closest to Cerro Gordo listed first.
- Albee
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albee
- Albee is located in Grant County (SD)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 17 people
- Big Stone City
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
- Revillo
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Revillo have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Revillo
- Revillo is located in Grant County (SD)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 104 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Revillo <2>
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Cerro Gordo, see our County-by-County Page for Cerro Gordo.
Cemeteries Near Cerro Gordo ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Cerro Gordo.
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 Cerro Gordo covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Cerro Gordo, with the one closest to Cerro Gordo listed first.
- Borgund Lutheran Church Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Borgund Lutheran Church Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Borgund Lutheran Church Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Lac qui Parle Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lac qui Parle Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lac qui Parle Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Kviteseid Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Kviteseid Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Kviteseid Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Hegre Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hegre Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hegre Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Faith Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Faith Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Faith Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Minnesota Valley Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Minnesota Valley Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Minnesota Valley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Dawson Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Dawson Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Dawson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Riverside Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- 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.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Zion Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Zion Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Zion Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Appleton Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Appleton Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Appleton Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Hamlin Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hamlin Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hamlin Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Our Saviour's Lutheran Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Our Saviour's Lutheran Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Our Saviour's Lutheran Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Continue List (138 more) ...
- Louisburg Lutheran Cemetery
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Louisburg Lutheran Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Louisburg Lutheran Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Sommerfeld Family Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sommerfeld Family Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sommerfeld Family Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- German American Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the German American Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the German American 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 in 1895, Cerro Gordo had a post office and no railroad service.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Cerro Gordo, with the one closest to Cerro Gordo listed first.
- Lac qui Parle
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lac qui Parle have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lac qui Parle
- Lac qui Parle is located in Lac qui Parle County
- Milan
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Madison
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Madison have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Madison
- Madison is located in Lac qui Parle County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,376 people
- Dawson
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dawson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dawson
- Dawson is located in Lac qui Parle County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,378 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dawson <2>
- Appleton
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
- Louisburg
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Louisburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Louisburg
- Louisburg is located in Lac qui Parle County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 43 people
- Watson
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Watson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watson
- Watson is located in Chippewa County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 192 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Watson <2>
- Correll
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Correll have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Correll
- Correll is located in Big Stone County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 31 people
- Bellingham
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bellingham have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bellingham
- Bellingham is located in Lac qui Parle County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 147 people
- Hagan
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hagan have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hagan
- Hagan is located in Chippewa County
- Holloway
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Holloway have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holloway
- Holloway is located in Swift County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 85 people
- Providence
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Providence. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Providence
- Providence is located in Lac qui Parle County
- Continue List (17 more) ...
- Boyd
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Boyd have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boyd
- Boyd is located in Lac qui Parle County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 154 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Boyd <2>
- Montevideo
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
- Marietta
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marietta have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marietta
- Marietta is located in Lac qui Parle County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 138 people
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Cerro Gordo. See our List of 1890's Communities around Cerro Gordo.
Newspapers Published in Cerro Gordo ...
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 97 newspapers that have been published in the area around Cerro Gordo.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Cerro Gordo, there are papers which were published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Cerro Gordo.
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 professional and volunteer 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 Cerro Gordo:
- Websites specific to Minnesota
- Pages specific to Lac qui Parle County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Big Stone County
- Chippewa County
- Swift County
- Yellow Medicine County
- Deuel County
- Grant County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Minnesota
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Cerro Gordo. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Lac qui Parle County: www.ci.madison.mn.us/
The official website for State of Minnesota: https://mn.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 Cerro Gordo, 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' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Cerro Gordo) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Cerro Gordo. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 45.0525, Longitude: -96.0320 In this case, the coordinates for Cerro Gordo have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |