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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 Knife River (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 Knife River. 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 Knife River ...

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 Knife River: Knife Riv.

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 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 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.

Knife River is located in Lake 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 Lake County: Cook, Saint Louis, Ashland (WI), Bayfield (WI) & Douglas (WI).

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

  • Lake County     (The home county of Knife River)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Knife River, with the one closest to Knife River listed first.
    • Two Harbors
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Stewart
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stewart have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stewart
      • Stewart is located in Lake County
    • Beaver Crossing
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaver Crossing
      • Beaver Crossing is located in Lake County
    • Jordan
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jordan have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jordan
      • Jordan is located in Lake County
    • Beaver Bay
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Beaver Bay have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaver Bay
      • Beaver Bay is located in Lake County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 173 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Beaver Bay <1>
  • Saint Louis County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Knife River, with the one closest to Knife River listed first.
    • Arnold
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Arnold have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arnold
      • Arnold is located in Saint Louis County
    • Duluth
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duluth
      • Duluth is located in Saint Louis County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 85,773 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Duluth <1>
    • Brimson
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brimson have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brimson
      • Brimson is located in Saint Louis County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Brimson <1>
    • Hermantown
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hermantown have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hermantown
      • Hermantown is located in Saint Louis County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 9,504 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hermantown <1>
    • Breda
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Breda
      • Breda is located in Saint Louis County
    • Proctor
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Proctor have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Proctor
      • Proctor is located in Saint Louis County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,006 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Proctor <1>
    • Adolph
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Adolph have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adolph
      • Adolph is located in Saint Louis County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Adolph <1>
    • Twig
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Twig have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Twig
      • Twig is located in Saint Louis County
    • Gary
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gary have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gary
      • Gary is located in Saint Louis County
    • New Duluth
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Duluth
      • New Duluth is located in Saint Louis County
  • Douglas County (WI)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Knife River, with the one closest to Knife River listed first.
    • Cloverland
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cloverland have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cloverland
      • Cloverland is located in Douglas County (WI)
    • Superior
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Superior
      • Superior is located in Douglas County (WI)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 26,213 people
    • Poplar
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poplar
      • Poplar is located in Douglas County (WI)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 613 people
    • South Range
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Range
      • South Range is located in Douglas County (WI)
    • Superior Village
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Superior Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Superior Village
      • Superior Village is located in Douglas County (WI)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 713 people
    • Saunders
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saunders
      • Saunders is located in Douglas County (WI)
    • Oliver
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oliver have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oliver
      • Oliver is located in Douglas County (WI)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 416 people
    • Lake Nebagamon
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Nebagamon have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Nebagamon
      • Lake Nebagamon is located in Douglas County (WI)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,064 people

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

Newspapers Published in Knife River ...

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 34 newspapers that have been published in the area around Knife River.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Knife River, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Knife River.

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 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 Knife River:

Cemeteries Near Knife River ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Knife River.

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

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

  • Lake View Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
    • The Lake View Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Lakeview Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lake View Cemetery
  • Lakeview Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • 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.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lakeview Cemetery
  • Holy Spirit Catholic Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Holy Spirit Catholic Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Holy Spirit Catholic Cemetery
  • Normanna Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Normanna Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Normanna Cemetery
  • Woodland Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Woodland Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Woodland Cemetery
  • Forest Hill Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Forest Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Forest Hill Cemetery
  • Park Hill Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Park Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Park Hill Cemetery
  • Scandia Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Scandia Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Scandia Cemetery
  • Adas Israel Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Adas Israel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Adas Israel Cemetery
  • Tifereth Israel Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Tifereth Israel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Tifereth Israel Cemetery
  • Calvary Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
  • Polish Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (36 more) ...
    • Gethsemane Cemetery
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Lakeside Cemetery
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lakeside Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lakeside Cemetery
    • Rest Haven Cemetery
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rest Haven Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rest Haven Cemetery

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>

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

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

  • Two Harbors
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Clifton
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clifton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clifton
    • Clifton is located in Saint Louis County
  • Lester Park
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lester Park have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lester Park
    • Lester Park is located in Saint Louis County
  • Duluth
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Duluth
    • Duluth is located in Saint Louis County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 85,773 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Duluth <1>
  • Superior
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Superior
    • Superior is located in Douglas County (WI)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 26,213 people
  • Itasca
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Itasca have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Itasca
    • Itasca is located in Douglas County (WI)
  • Oneota
    (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oneota have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oneota
    • Oneota is located in Saint Louis County
  • Cutter
    (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cutter have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cutter
    • Cutter is located in Douglas County (WI)
  • West Duluth
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Duluth have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Duluth
    • West Duluth is located in Saint Louis County
  • South Superior
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for South Superior have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Superior
    • South Superior is located in Douglas County (WI)
  • Maple
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Maple have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maple
    • Maple is located in Douglas County (WI)
  • South Range
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Range
    • South Range is located in Douglas County (WI)
  • Continue List   (8 more) ...
    • Poplar
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Poplar
      • Poplar is located in Douglas County (WI)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 613 people
    • Smithville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Smithville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Smithville
      • Smithville is located in Saint Louis County
    • Blueberry
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Blueberry have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blueberry
      • Blueberry is located in Douglas County (WI)

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

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

The official website for Lake County: www.lakecnty.com/

The official website for State of Minnesota: https://mn.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>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 drawn from Point A (ie- Knife River) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Knife River. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 46.9494, Longitude: -91.7791       In this case, the coordinates for Knife River have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<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 Knife River, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024