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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 Otter Creek (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 Otter Creek. 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 Otter Creek ...

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.

Another variation: Ottercreek.

  • A typical abbreviation for Otter Creek: Otter Crk. (or less commonly used: Otter Ck. or Otter Cr.)

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.

Otter Creek is located in Carlton 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 Carlton County: Aitkin, Pine, Saint Louis & Douglas (WI).

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

  • Carlton County     (The home county of Otter Creek)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Otter Creek, with the one closest to Otter Creek listed first.
    • Carlton
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Sawyer
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sawyer have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sawyer
      • Sawyer is located in Carlton County
    • Mahtowa
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mahtowa
      • Mahtowa is located in Carlton County
    • Wrenshall
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wrenshall have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wrenshall
      • Wrenshall is located in Carlton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 423 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wrenshall <1>
    • Cloquet
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Scanlon
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Scanlon have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scanlon
      • Scanlon is located in Carlton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 945 people
    • Thomson
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Thomson have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thomson
      • Thomson is located in Carlton County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 158 people
    • Esko
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Barnum
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Holyoke
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Holyoke have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holyoke
      • Holyoke is located in Carlton County
    • Moose Lake
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Cromwell
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cromwell have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cromwell
      • Cromwell is located in Carlton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 228 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cromwell <1>
  • Aitkin County
    • Tamarack
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tamarack have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tamarack
      • Tamarack is located in Aitkin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 94 people
  • Pine County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Otter Creek, with the one closest to Otter Creek listed first.
    • Kerrick
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Sturgeon Lake
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Bruno
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bruno
      • Bruno is located in Pine County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 97 people
    • Willow River
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Denham
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Denham have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Denham
      • Denham is located in Pine County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 34 people
    • Kingsdale
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kingsdale
      • Kingsdale is located in Pine County
    • Rutledge
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rutledge have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rutledge
      • Rutledge is located in Pine County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 221 people
  • Saint Louis County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Otter Creek, with the one closest to Otter Creek listed first.
    • Gary
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • 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
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Duluth
      • New Duluth is located in Saint Louis County
    • Adolph
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • 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>
    • Brookston
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brookston have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookston
      • Brookston is located in Saint Louis County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 140 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Brookston <1>
    • Saginaw
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saginaw have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saginaw
      • Saginaw is located in Saint Louis County
    • Proctor
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • 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>
    • Hermantown
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • 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>
    • Twig
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • 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
    • Alborn
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alborn
      • Alborn is located in Saint Louis County
    • Duluth
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • 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>
    • Arnold
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • 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
    • Floodwood
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Floodwood have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Floodwood
      • Floodwood is located in Saint Louis County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 525 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Floodwood <1>
  • Douglas County (WI)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Otter Creek, with the one closest to Otter Creek listed first.
    • Oliver
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • 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
    • Saunders
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saunders
      • Saunders is located in Douglas County (WI)
    • Superior Village
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • 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
    • Superior
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Superior
      • Superior is located in Douglas County (WI)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 26,213 people
    • South Range
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for South Range
      • South Range is located in Douglas County (WI)
    • Moose Junction
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moose Junction
      • Moose Junction is located in Douglas County (WI)

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

Newspapers Published in Otter Creek ...

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 Otter Creek.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Otter Creek, there are papers which were published within 27 miles [43.5 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Otter Creek.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites 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 Otter Creek:

Cemeteries Near Otter Creek ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Otter Creek.

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 Otter Creek covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Bethel Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bethel Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bethel Cemetery
  • Sandy Lake Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sandy Lake Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sandy Lake Cemetery
  • St. Francis Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Francis Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Francis Cemetery
  • Hillside Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hillside Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hillside Cemetery
  • Sawyer Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sawyer Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sawyer Cemetery
  • Salem Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Salem Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Salem Cemetery
  • St. John's Lutheran Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. John's Lutheran Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. John's Lutheran Cemetery
  • Calvary Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Calvary Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Calvary Cemetery
  • Hillcrest Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hillcrest Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hillcrest Cemetery
  • Maple Grove Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Maple Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Maple Grove Cemetery
  • New Calvary Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the New Calvary Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the New Calvary Cemetery
  • Methodist Indian Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Methodist Indian Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Methodist Indian Cemetery
  • Continue List   (89 more) ...
    • Big Lake Indian Catholic Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Big Lake Indian Catholic Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Big Lake Indian Catholic Cemetery
    • Elim Lutheran Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Elim Lutheran Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Elim Lutheran Cemetery
    • MacCabee Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the MacCabee Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the MacCabee 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.<4>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Otter Creek had railroad service and no post office.

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

  • Mahtowa
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mahtowa
    • Mahtowa is located in Carlton County
  • Carlton
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Sawyer
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sawyer have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sawyer
    • Sawyer is located in Carlton County
  • Thomson
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Thomson have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thomson
    • Thomson is located in Carlton County
    • Estimated population in 2014: 158 people
  • Cloquet
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Barnum
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Corona
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Corona have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Corona
    • Corona is located in Carlton County
  • Holyoke
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Holyoke have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holyoke
    • Holyoke is located in Carlton County
  • New Duluth
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Duluth
    • New Duluth is located in Saint Louis County
  • Smithville
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • 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
  • Moose Lake
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Dedham
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dedham have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dedham
    • Dedham is located in Douglas County (WI)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Cromwell
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cromwell have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cromwell
      • Cromwell is located in Carlton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 228 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cromwell <1>
    • Pokegama
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pokegama have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pokegama
      • Pokegama is located in Douglas County (WI)
    • West Duluth
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • 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

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

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

The official website for Carlton County: www.co.carlton.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>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 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Otter Creek) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Otter Creek. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 46.6279, Longitude: -92.5330    
<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 Otter Creek, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024