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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 Prior Lake (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 Prior Lake. 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 Prior Lake ...

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 Prior Lake: Prior Lk.

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 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.

Prior Lake is located in Scott 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 Scott County: Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Le Sueur, Rice & Sibley.

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

  • Scott County     (The home county of Prior Lake)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Prior Lake, with the one closest to Prior Lake listed first.
    • Credit River
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Credit River have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Credit River
      • Credit River is located in Scott County
    • Savage
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Savage have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Savage
      • Savage is located in Scott County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 32,858 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Savage <2>
    • Shakopee
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shakopee have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shakopee
      • Shakopee is located in Scott County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 43,020 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Shakopee <2>
    • Marystown
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Marystown. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marystown
      • Marystown is located in Scott County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Marystown
      • From Prior Lake to Marystown
    • Cedar Lake
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Saint Patrick
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • New Market
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Market have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Market
      • New Market is located in Scott County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for New Market <2>
    • Elko New Market
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elko New Market have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elko New Market
      • Elko New Market is located in Scott County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,733 people
    • Jordan
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Elko
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elko have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elko
      • Elko is located in Scott County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Elko <2>
    • New Prague
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Union Hill
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Anoka County
  • Carver County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Prior Lake, with the one closest to Prior Lake listed first.
    • Chaska
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Carver
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Chanhassen
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Hazeltine
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Dahlgren
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Dahlgren. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dahlgren
      • Dahlgren is located in Carver County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Dahlgren
      • From Prior Lake to Dahlgren
    • Victoria
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Victoria have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Victoria
      • Victoria is located in Carver County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,667 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Victoria <2>
    • Gotha
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Gotha. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gotha
      • Gotha is located in Carver County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Gotha
      • From Prior Lake to Gotha
    • Cologne
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cologne have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cologne
      • Cologne is located in Carver County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,860 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cologne <2>
    • Waconia
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Waconia have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waconia
      • Waconia is located in Carver County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 12,415 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Waconia <2>
    • Assumption
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Assumption have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Assumption
      • Assumption is located in Carver County
    • Hydes Lake
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Norwood Young America
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Norwood Young America have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norwood Young America
      • Norwood Young America is located in Carver County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,794 people
  • Dakota County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Prior Lake, with the one closest to Prior Lake listed first.
    • Burnsville
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Burnsville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burnsville
      • Burnsville is located in Dakota County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 62,170 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Burnsville <2>
    • Lakeville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Apple Valley
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Apple Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Apple Valley
      • Apple Valley is located in Dakota County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 54,847 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Apple Valley <2>
    • Nicols
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Nicols. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nicols
      • Nicols is located in Dakota County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Nicols
      • From Prior Lake to Nicols
    • Eureka Center
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Farmington
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Eagan
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Rosemount
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rosemount have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosemount
      • Rosemount is located in Dakota County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 25,798 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rosemount <2>
    • Mendota
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Castle Rock
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Castle Rock have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Castle Rock
      • Castle Rock is located in Dakota County
    • Mendota Heights
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mendota Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mendota Heights
      • Mendota Heights is located in Dakota County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 11,433 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mendota Heights <2>
    • Coates
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Coates have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coates
      • Coates is located in Dakota County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 155 people
  • Goodhue County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Prior Lake, with the one closest to Prior Lake listed first.
    • Stanton
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Dennison
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Cannon Falls
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cannon Falls have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cannon Falls
      • Cannon Falls is located in Goodhue County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,022 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cannon Falls <2>
  • Hennepin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Prior Lake, with the one closest to Prior Lake listed first.
    • Eden Prairie
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Bloomington
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Edina
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Richfield
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Hopkins
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Excelsior
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Greenwood
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Greenwood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwood
      • Greenwood is located in Hennepin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 937 people
    • Deephaven
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Deephaven have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deephaven
      • Deephaven is located in Hennepin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,898 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Deephaven <2>
    • Minnetonka Mills
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Minnetonka
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Minnetonka have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minnetonka
      • Minnetonka is located in Hennepin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 55,370 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Minnetonka <2>
    • Shorewood
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shorewood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shorewood
      • Shorewood is located in Hennepin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,098 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Shorewood <2>
    • Tonka Bay
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tonka Bay have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tonka Bay
      • Tonka Bay is located in Hennepin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,551 people
  • Le Sueur County
  • McLeod County
    • Plato
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Plato. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plato
      • Plato is located in McLeod County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 303 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Plato <2>
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Plato
      • From Prior Lake to Plato
  • Ramsey County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Prior Lake, with the one closest to Prior Lake listed first.
    • Falcon Heights
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Falcon Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falcon Heights
      • Falcon Heights is located in Ramsey County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,628 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Falcon Heights <2>
    • Lauderdale
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lauderdale have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lauderdale
      • Lauderdale is located in Ramsey County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,484 people
    • Saint Paul
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Highwood
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Highwood. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highwood
      • Highwood is located in Ramsey County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Highwood
      • From Prior Lake to Highwood
    • Roseville
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Roseville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roseville
      • Roseville is located in Ramsey County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 36,178 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Roseville <2>
    • New Brighton
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Arden Hills
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Arden Hills have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arden Hills
      • Arden Hills is located in Ramsey County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,196 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Arden Hills <2>
    • Cardigan Junction
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cardigan Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cardigan Junction
      • Cardigan Junction is located in Ramsey County
    • Little Canada
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Little Canada have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Canada
      • Little Canada is located in Ramsey County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 10,335 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Little Canada <2>
    • Mounds View
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mounds View have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mounds View
      • Mounds View is located in Ramsey County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 13,446 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mounds View <2>
    • Maplewood
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • North Saint Paul
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Saint Paul have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Saint Paul
      • North Saint Paul is located in Ramsey County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 12,416 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for North Saint Paul <2>
  • Rice County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Prior Lake, with the one closest to Prior Lake listed first.
    • Webster
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Lonsdale
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lonsdale have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lonsdale
      • Lonsdale is located in Rice County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,299 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lonsdale <2>
    • Trondjem
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Millersburg
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Northfield
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Dundas
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dundas have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dundas
      • Dundas is located in Rice County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,652 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dundas <2>
    • Cannon City
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cannon City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cannon City
      • Cannon City is located in Rice County
    • Faribault
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
  • Sibley County
  • Washington County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Prior Lake, with the one closest to Prior Lake listed first.
    • Saint Paul Park
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Newport
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Newport have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newport
      • Newport is located in Washington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,138 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Newport <2>
    • Cottage Grove
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Landfall
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Landfall have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Landfall
      • Landfall is located in Washington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 733 people
    • Woodbury
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Woodbury have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodbury
      • Woodbury is located in Washington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 74,255 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Woodbury <2>
    • Oakdale
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oakdale have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakdale
      • Oakdale is located in Washington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 27,773 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oakdale <2>
  • Wright County
  • Pierce County (WI)

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

Cemeteries Near Prior Lake ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Prior Lake.

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 Prior Lake covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • St. Michaels Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Michaels Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Michaels Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Pauls Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Pauls Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Pauls Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Catholic Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Catholic Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Catholic Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Glendale Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Glendale Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Glendale Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Fish Lake Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fish Lake Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fish Lake Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Concord Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Concord Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Concord Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Catherine Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Catherine Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Catherine Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. John the Baptist Catholic Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Calvary Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Calvary Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Calvary Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Marys Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Marys Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Marys Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Evergreen Point Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Valley Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Valley Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Valley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (288 more) ...
    • Bloomington Ferry Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bloomington Ferry Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bloomington Ferry Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Dawn Valley Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Dawn Valley Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Dawn Valley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • St. Marks Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Marks Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Marks Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.

Nearby Communities in 1895 ...

We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.<4>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Prior Lake had a population of 178 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Prior Lake had a population of 27,317 people.

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

  • Credit River
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Credit River have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Credit River
    • Credit River is located in Scott County
  • Shakopee
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shakopee have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shakopee
    • Shakopee is located in Scott County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 43,020 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Shakopee <2>
  • Lydia
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lydia have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lydia
    • Lydia is located in Scott County
  • Barden
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Barden have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barden
    • Barden is located in Scott County
  • Marystown
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Marystown. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marystown
    • Marystown is located in Scott County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Marystown
    • From Prior Lake to Marystown
  • Bloomington Ferry
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bloomington Ferry have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomington Ferry
    • Bloomington Ferry is located in Hennepin County
  • Cedar Lake
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Merriam
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Merriam have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merriam
    • Merriam is located in Scott County
  • Eden Prairie
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
  • Saint Patrick
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Lakeville
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Rowland
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rowland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rowland
    • Rowland is located in Hennepin County
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Prior Lake ...

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 297 newspapers that have been published in the area around Prior Lake.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Prior Lake. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Prior Lake and those printed in the larger area surrounding Prior Lake.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 23 miles [37 km]<5> of Prior Lake.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to start with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These 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 Prior Lake:

The official website for Prior Lake: www.cityofpriorlake.com/

The official website for Scott County: www.co.scott.mn.us/

The official website for State of Minnesota: https://mn.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace.
<4>We use the term 'Historic' broadly and it generally means that the community no longer exists. However, it can also mean that the community might still exist, but was significantly larger or had a more 'official' existence in the past than it does now. Unfortunately our sources of data have proven to be unreliable. If you can provide us with more specific information about Prior Lake, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<5>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Prior Lake) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Prior Lake. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 44.7134, Longitude: -93.4226    









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025