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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 Redwood Falls (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 Redwood Falls. 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 Redwood Falls ...

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 occur.

Another variation: Redwod Falls.

  • In past government published Postal Guides, Redwood Falls was referred to as Redwood Falls Courthouse.

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.

For more information about how community names might have been affected by the Board of Geographic Names (BGN), see our page about Placename Rules.

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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors were in the next county to the west. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the south.

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 south 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.

Redwood Falls is primarily located in Redwood County and is the County Seat. A portion of Redwood Falls extends into Renville County.

To see how the shape of Minnesota's counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Redwood County: Brown, Cottonwood, Lyon, Murray, Renville & Yellow Medicine.

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

  • Redwood County     (The home county of Redwood Falls)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Redwood Falls, with the one closest to Redwood Falls listed first.
    • North Redwood
      (Less than 2 miles to the north)
      • North Redwood is located in Redwood County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Redwood
    • Delhi
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Delhi is located in Redwood County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delhi
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 63 people
    • Clements
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Clements is located in Redwood County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clements
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 140 people
    • Belview
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Belview is located in Redwood County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belview
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 352 people
    • Morgan
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Morgan is located in Redwood County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morgan
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 832 people
    • Seaforth
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Wabasso
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Vesta
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Vesta is located in Redwood County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vesta
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 295 people
    • Wanda
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Lucan
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Lamberton
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Sanborn
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Milroy
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
  • Brown County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Redwood Falls, with the one closest to Redwood Falls listed first.
    • Evan
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Evan is located in Brown County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evan
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 84 people
    • Springfield
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Cobden
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Cobden is located in Brown County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cobden
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 35 people
    • Sleepy Eye
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Leavenworth
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Leavenworth is located in Brown County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Leavenworth
    • Essig
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Iberia
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Iberia is located in Brown County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Iberia
  • Chippewa County
    • Maynard
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Kandiyohi County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Redwood Falls, with the one closest to Redwood Falls listed first.
    • Roseland
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Roseland is located in Kandiyohi County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Roseland
    • Blomkest
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Blomkest is located in Kandiyohi County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blomkest
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 157 people
    • Prinsburg
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Prinsburg is located in Kandiyohi County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prinsburg
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 497 people
    • Lake Lillian
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
  • Lyon County
    • Cottonwood
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
  • Renville County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Redwood Falls, with the one closest to Redwood Falls listed first.
    • Morton
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Franklin
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Danube
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Olivia
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Renville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Fairfax
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Bird Island
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Sacred Heart
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Hector
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Buffalo Lake
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Sibley County
    • Gibbon
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
  • Yellow Medicine County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Redwood Falls, with the one closest to Redwood Falls listed first.
    • Echo
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Echo is located in Yellow Medicine County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Echo
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 247 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Echo <1>
    • Wood Lake
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Wood Lake is located in Yellow Medicine County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wood Lake
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 395 people
    • Hanley Falls
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Hanley Falls is located in Yellow Medicine County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hanley Falls
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 273 people
    • Granite Falls
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)

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

Cemeteries Near Redwood Falls ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Redwood Falls.

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.

Although we don't have the information ourselves, if you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our list of websites on our Genealogy Helper Page for Redwood Falls - one of the links might be able to help.

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Redwood Falls covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Redwood Falls Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Valentine Appel Burial Plot
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • St. Catherine Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Camp Pope Burial Plot
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
  • Riverside Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northeast)
  • Orange C Martin Grave
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Crestlawn Memorial Garden
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Beaver Falls Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Lower Sioux Community Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Morton Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Post - Newton Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • St. John Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (185 more) ...
    • Marguth Grave Site
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Peavery Grave Site
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • First Flora Lutheran Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)

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.<2>

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

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

  • North Redwood
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • North Redwood is located in Redwood County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Redwood
  • Beaver Falls
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Beaver Falls is located in Renville County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaver Falls
  • Morton
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Delhi
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Delhi is located in Redwood County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Delhi
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 63 people
  • Bechyn
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Bechyn is located in Renville County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bechyn
  • Gilfillan
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Gilfillan is located in Redwood County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gilfillan
  • Franklin
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
  • Belview
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Belview is located in Redwood County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belview
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 352 people
  • Morgan
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Morgan is located in Redwood County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morgan
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 832 people
  • Vesta
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Vesta is located in Redwood County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vesta
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 295 people
  • Echo
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Echo is located in Yellow Medicine County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Echo
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 247 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Echo <1>
  • Olivia
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Renville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Evan
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Evan is located in Brown County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evan
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 84 people
    • Fairfax
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Redwood Falls ...

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 87 newspapers that have been published in the area around Redwood Falls.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Redwood Falls. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Redwood Falls and those printed in the larger area surrounding Redwood Falls.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<3> of Redwood Falls.

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 Redwood Falls:

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>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 Redwood Falls, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<3>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Redwood Falls) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.