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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 North Prairie (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 North Prairie. 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 North Prairie ...

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 North Prairie: N. Prairie

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.

North Prairie is located in Morrison 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 Morrison County: Benton, Cass, Crow Wing, Mille Lacs, Stearns & Todd.

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

  • Morrison County     (The home county of North Prairie)
    • The following are listed by their distance from North Prairie, with the one closest to North Prairie listed first.
    • Royalton
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Bowlus
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Elmdale
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Elmdale. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmdale
      • Elmdale is located in Morrison County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 116 people
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Elmdale
      • From North Prairie to Elmdale
    • Sobieski
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sobieski have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sobieski
      • Sobieski is located in Morrison County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 194 people
    • Upsala
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Little Falls
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Buckman
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Buckman have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckman
      • Buckman is located in Morrison County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 273 people
    • Flensburg
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Belle Prairie
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Genola
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Genola have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Genola
      • Genola is located in Morrison County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 66 people
    • Swanville
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Pierz
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pierz have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pierz
      • Pierz is located in Morrison County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,364 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pierz <1>
    • Morrill
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Morrill. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morrill
      • Morrill is located in Morrison County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Morrill
      • From North Prairie to Morrill
  • Benton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from North Prairie, with the one closest to North Prairie listed first.
    • Rice
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rice have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rice
      • Rice is located in Benton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,401 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rice <1>
    • Watab
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Evergreen Village
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Evergreen Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evergreen Village
      • Evergreen Village is located in Benton County
    • Sauk Rapids
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Gilman
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gilman have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilman
      • Gilman is located in Benton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 216 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gilman <1>
    • Foley
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Foley have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Foley
      • Foley is located in Benton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,653 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Foley <1>
    • Ronneby
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ronneby have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ronneby
      • Ronneby is located in Benton County
    • Duelm
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Oak Park
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
  • Crow Wing County
  • Sherburne County
    • The following are listed by their distance from North Prairie, with the one closest to North Prairie listed first.
    • Cable
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Cable. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cable
      • Cable is located in Sherburne County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Cable
      • From North Prairie to Cable
    • Clear Lake
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clear Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clear Lake
      • Clear Lake is located in Sherburne County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 729 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clear Lake <1>
  • Stearns County
    • The following are listed by their distance from North Prairie, with the one closest to North Prairie listed first.
    • Opole
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Opole. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Opole
      • Opole is located in Stearns County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Opole
      • From North Prairie to Opole
    • Saint Stephen
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint Stephen have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Stephen
      • Saint Stephen is located in Stearns County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 867 people
    • Holdingford
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Holdingford have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holdingford
      • Holdingford is located in Stearns County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 725 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Holdingford <1>
    • Saint Wendel
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Sartell
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sartell have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sartell
      • Sartell is located in Stearns County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 19,079 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sartell <1>
    • Avon
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Collegeville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Evergreen Village
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Evergreen Village have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evergreen Village
      • Evergreen Village is located in Stearns County
    • Saint Anthony
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint Anthony have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Anthony
      • Saint Anthony is located in Stearns County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 91 people
    • Albany
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Saint Joseph
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Waite Park
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Freeport
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Freeport have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freeport
      • Freeport is located in Stearns County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 671 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Freeport <1>
  • Todd County
    • The following are listed by their distance from North Prairie, with the one closest to North Prairie listed first.
    • Burtrum
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Pillsbury
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Grey Eagle
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Long Prairie
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Long Prairie have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Long Prairie
      • Long Prairie is located in Todd County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,297 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Long Prairie <1>
  • Wright County
    • Clearwater
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clearwater have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clearwater
      • Clearwater is located in Wright County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,841 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clearwater <1>

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

Cemeteries Near North Prairie ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of North Prairie.

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

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

  • Holy Cross Church Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Holy Cross Church Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Holy Cross Church Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Royalton Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Royalton Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Royalton Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Holy Trinity Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Holy Trinity Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Holy Trinity Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Stanislaus Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Stanislaus Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Stanislaus Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mt. Carmel Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Carmel Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Carmel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Pioneer Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pioneer Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pioneer Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Mary Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
  • Rice Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rice Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rice Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Danish Lutheran Church Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Danish Lutheran Church Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Danish Lutheran Church Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Free Evangelical Church Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Free Evangelical Church Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Free Evangelical Church Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Edward's Church Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Edward's Church Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Edward's Church Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Highland Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Highland Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Highland Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (161 more) ...
    • St. Hegwigs Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Hegwigs Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Hegwigs Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • St. Stephni Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Stephni Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Stephni Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Immaculate Conception Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Immaculate Conception Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Immaculate Conception 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.<6>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, North Prairie had a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Opole
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Opole. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Opole
    • Opole is located in Stearns County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Opole
    • From North Prairie to Opole
  • Royalton
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Rice
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rice have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rice
    • Rice is located in Benton County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,401 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rice <1>
  • Holdingford
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Holdingford have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holdingford
    • Holdingford is located in Stearns County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 725 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Holdingford <1>
  • Elmdale
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Elmdale. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmdale
    • Elmdale is located in Morrison County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 116 people
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Elmdale
    • From North Prairie to Elmdale
  • Saint Wendel
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Gregory
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gregory have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gregory
    • Gregory is located in Morrison County
  • Upsala
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
  • Saint Anna
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint Anna have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Anna
    • Saint Anna is located in Stearns County
  • Watab
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Little Falls
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
  • Buckman
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Buckman have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buckman
    • Buckman is located in Morrison County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 273 people
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...

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

Newspapers Published in North Prairie ...

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 61 newspapers that have been published in the area around North Prairie.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of North Prairie, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for North Prairie.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit 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 North Prairie:

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

The official website for Morrison County: www.co.morrison.mn.us/

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>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.
<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>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- North Prairie) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in North Prairie. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 45.8008, Longitude: -94.3492       In this case, the coordinates for North Prairie have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<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 North Prairie, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025