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 Detroit Lakes (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 Detroit Lakes. 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 Detroit Lakes ...
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.
For example, a typical abbreviation for Detroit Lakes: Detroit Lks.
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 northwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.
Detroit Lakes is located in Becker County and is the County Seat.
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 Becker County: Clay, Clearwater, Hubbard, Mahnomen, Norman, Otter Tail & Wadena.
Below are the counties that are near Detroit Lakes. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Detroit Lakes:
- Becker County (The home county of Detroit Lakes)
- The following are listed by their distance from Detroit Lakes, with the one closest to Detroit Lakes listed first.
- Bucks Mill
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bucks Mill. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bucks Mill
- Bucks Mill is located in Becker County
- Audubon
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Rochert
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rochert have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rochert
- Rochert is located in Becker County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rochert <2>
- Frazee
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Frazee have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frazee
- Frazee is located in Becker County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,381 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Frazee <2>
- Richwood
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Richwood have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richwood
- Richwood is located in Becker County
- Cormorant
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cormorant
- Cormorant is located in Becker County
- Callaway
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Callaway have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Callaway
- Callaway is located in Becker County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 227 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Callaway <2>
- Lake Park
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Park have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Park
- Lake Park is located in Becker County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 787 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lake Park <2>
- Evergreen
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evergreen
- Evergreen is located in Becker County
- Ogema
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ogema have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ogema
- Ogema is located in Becker County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 183 people
- White Earth
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Wolf Lake
(23 miles [37 km] to the east)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wolf Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wolf Lake
- Wolf Lake is located in Becker County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 55 people
- Pine Point
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pine Point have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Point
- Pine Point is located in Becker County
- Clay County
- The following are listed by their distance from Detroit Lakes, with the one closest to Detroit Lakes listed first.
- Rollag
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Rollag. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rollag
- Rollag is located in Clay County
- Hitterdal
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hitterdal have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hitterdal
- Hitterdal is located in Clay County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 213 people
- Hawley
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hawley have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hawley
- Hawley is located in Clay County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,210 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hawley <2>
- Ulen
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ulen have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ulen
- Ulen is located in Clay County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 544 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ulen <2>
- Muskoda
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Muskoda. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Muskoda
- Muskoda is located in Clay County
- Barnesville
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
- Mahnomen County
- Waubun
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Waubun have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waubun
- Waubun is located in Mahnomen County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 401 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Waubun <2>
- Norman County
- Flom
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Otter Tail County
- The following are listed by their distance from Detroit Lakes, with the one closest to Detroit Lakes listed first.
- Vergas
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vergas have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vergas
- Vergas is located in Otter Tail County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 354 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Vergas <2>
- Dent
(18 miles [29 km] to the south)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dent have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dent
- Dent is located in Otter Tail County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 185 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dent <2>
- Perham
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Perham have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perham
- Perham is located in Otter Tail County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,638 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Perham <2>
- Pelican Rapids
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- Richville
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Richville have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richville
- Richville is located in Otter Tail County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 98 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Richville <2>
- Edwards
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edwards
- Edwards is located in Otter Tail County
- Erhard
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Erhard have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erhard
- Erhard is located in Otter Tail County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 145 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Erhard <2>
- Maine
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Maine. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maine
- Maine is located in Otter Tail County
- Amor
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Amor. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amor
- Amor is located in Otter Tail County
- Davies
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Davies. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Davies
- Davies is located in Otter Tail County
- New York Mills
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Ottertail
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ottertail have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ottertail
- Ottertail is located in Otter Tail County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 660 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ottertail <2>
- Wilkin County
- Lawndale
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lawndale. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawndale
- Lawndale is located in Wilkin County
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Detroit Lakes, see our County-by-County Page for Detroit Lakes.
Cemeteries Near Detroit Lakes ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Detroit Lakes.
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 Detroit Lakes covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Detroit Lakes, with the one closest to Detroit Lakes listed first.
- Holy Rosary Catholic Church Cemetery
(Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Holy Rosary Catholic Church Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Holy Rosary Catholic Church Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Oak Grove Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oak Grove Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oak Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Lakeview Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
- 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.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Elmwood Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Elmwood Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Elmwood Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Lake Eunice Evangelical Free Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lake Eunice Evangelical Free Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lake Eunice Evangelical Free Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Augustana Lutheran Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Augustana Lutheran Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Augustana Lutheran Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Lake Eunice Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lake Eunice Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lake Eunice Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Chilton Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Chilton Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Chilton Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Cook Family Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cook Family Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cook Family Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Schrams Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Schrams Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Schrams Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Sacred Heart Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sacred Heart Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sacred Heart Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Bakke Lutheran Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bakke Lutheran Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bakke Lutheran Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Continue List (161 more) ...
- Immanuel Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Immanuel Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Immanuel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Cook Family Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cook Family Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cook Family Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- St. Peter's Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Peter's Cemetery
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Peter's Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> 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>
While we didn't find Detroit Lakes in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Detroit Lakes.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Detroit Lakes, with the one closest to Detroit Lakes listed first.
- Bucks Mill
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bucks Mill. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bucks Mill
- Bucks Mill is located in Becker County
- Audubon
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
- Frazee
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Frazee have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frazee
- Frazee is located in Becker County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,381 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Frazee <2>
- Cormorant
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cormorant
- Cormorant is located in Becker County
- Richwood
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Richwood have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richwood
- Richwood is located in Becker County
- Luce
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Luce have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Luce
- Luce is located in Otter Tail County
- Lake Park
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Park have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Park
- Lake Park is located in Becker County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 787 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lake Park <2>
- Perham
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Perham have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Perham
- Perham is located in Otter Tail County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,638 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Perham <2>
- Rollag
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Rollag. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rollag
- Rollag is located in Clay County
- Pelican Rapids
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
- White Earth
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
- Tansem
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tansem have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tansem
- Tansem is located in Clay County
- Continue List (13 more) ...
- Winnipeg Junction
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Winnipeg Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winnipeg Junction
- Winnipeg Junction is located in Clay County
- Norwegian Grove
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Norwegian Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norwegian Grove
- Norwegian Grove is located in Otter Tail County
- Hitterdal
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hitterdal have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hitterdal
- Hitterdal is located in Clay County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 213 people
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Detroit Lakes. See our List of 1890's Communities around Detroit Lakes.
Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Detroit Lakes ...
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 56 newspapers that have been published in the area around Detroit Lakes.
We have organized these newspapers into two lists:
- A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Detroit Lakes. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Detroit Lakes and those printed in the larger area surrounding Detroit Lakes.
- An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<5> of Detroit Lakes.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These helpful 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 Detroit Lakes:
- Websites specific to Minnesota
- Pages specific to Becker County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Clay County
- Mahnomen County
- Norman County
- Otter Tail County
- Wilkin County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Minnesota
Off-the-Road Links ...
The official website for Detroit Lakes: www.ci.detroit-lakes.mn.us/
The official website for Becker County: www.co.becker.mn.us/
The official website for State of Minnesota: https://mn.gov/
Footnotes ...
<1> | 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. |
<2> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
<3> | 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. |
<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 Detroit Lakes, 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- Detroit Lakes) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Detroit Lakes. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 46.8031, Longitude: -95.8414 In this case, the coordinates for Detroit Lakes have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |