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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 Shakopee (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 Shakopee. 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.

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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.

Shakopee is located in Scott County and is the County Seat.

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 Scott County: Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Le Sueur, Rice & Sibley.

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

  • Scott County     (The home county of Shakopee)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Shakopee, with the one closest to Shakopee listed first.
    • Prior Lake
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Marystown
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Marystown is located in Scott County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marystown
    • Savage
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Credit River
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Credit River is located in Scott County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Credit River
    • Jordan
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Saint Patrick
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Saint Patrick is located in Scott County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Patrick
    • Cedar Lake
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Cedar Lake is located in Scott County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cedar Lake
    • Elko New Market
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Elko New Market is located in Scott County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elko New Market
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,733 people
    • New Market
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • New Prague
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Elko
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Belle Plaine
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Anoka County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Shakopee, with the one closest to Shakopee listed first.
    • Columbia Heights
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Hilltop
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Hilltop is located in Anoka County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hilltop
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 764 people
    • Fridley
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Spring Lake Park
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Coon Creek
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Coon Creek is located in Anoka County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coon Creek
    • Coon Rapids
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Anoka
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Circle Pines
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Lexington
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Blaine
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Carver County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Shakopee, with the one closest to Shakopee listed first.
    • Chanhassen
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Chaska
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Hazeltine
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Hazeltine is located in Carver County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hazeltine
    • Carver
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Victoria
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Dahlgren
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Dahlgren is located in Carver County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dahlgren
    • Cologne
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Gotha
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Gotha is located in Carver County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gotha
    • Waconia
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Hydes Lake
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Hydes Lake is located in Carver County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hydes Lake
    • Assumption
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Assumption is located in Carver County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Assumption
    • Mayer
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
  • Dakota County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Shakopee, with the one closest to Shakopee listed first.
    • Burnsville
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Nicols
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Nicols is located in Dakota County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nicols
    • Apple Valley
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Lakeville
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Eagan
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Eagan is located in Dakota County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagan
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 65,975 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Eagan <1>
    • Mendota Heights
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Mendota
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Eureka Center
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Eureka Center is located in Dakota County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eureka Center
    • Sunfish Lake
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Lilydale
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Lilydale is located in Dakota County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lilydale
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 838 people
    • Farmington
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Inver Grove Heights
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
  • Goodhue County
    • Stanton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Stanton is located in Goodhue County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stanton
  • Hennepin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Shakopee, with the one closest to Shakopee listed first.
    • Eden Prairie
      (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Bloomington
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Excelsior
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Deephaven
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Greenwood
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Greenwood is located in Hennepin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwood
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 937 people
    • Minnetonka
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Edina
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Edina is located in Hennepin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edina
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 52,477 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Edina <1>
    • Shorewood
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Hopkins
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Minnetonka Mills
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Minnetonka Mills is located in Hennepin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minnetonka Mills
    • Tonka Bay
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Tonka Bay is located in Hennepin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tonka Bay
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,551 people
    • Minnetonka Beach
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Minnetonka Beach is located in Hennepin County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minnetonka Beach
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 584 people
  • Le Sueur County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Shakopee, with the one closest to Shakopee listed first.
    • Heidelberg
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Heidelberg is located in Le Sueur County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heidelberg
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 122 people
    • Montgomery
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Saint Thomas
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Saint Thomas is located in Le Sueur County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Thomas
    • Lexington
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Lexington is located in Le Sueur County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lexington
    • Le Center
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Le Sueur
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • McLeod County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Shakopee, with the one closest to Shakopee listed first.
    • Plato
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Lester Prairie
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
    • Winsted
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Ramsey County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Shakopee, with the one closest to Shakopee listed first.
    • Falcon Heights
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Lauderdale
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Lauderdale is located in Ramsey County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lauderdale
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,484 people
    • Roseville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Saint Paul
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Highwood
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Highwood is located in Ramsey County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Highwood
    • New Brighton
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Arden Hills
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Little Canada
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Cardigan Junction
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Cardigan Junction is located in Ramsey County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cardigan Junction
    • Mounds View
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Shoreview
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Vadnais Heights
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Rice County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Shakopee, with the one closest to Shakopee listed first.
    • Webster
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Lonsdale
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Trondjem
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Trondjem is located in Rice County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trondjem
    • Wheatland
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Wheatland is located in Rice County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheatland
    • Millersburg
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Millersburg is located in Rice County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millersburg
    • Northfield
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Dundas
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Sibley County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Shakopee, with the one closest to Shakopee listed first.
    • Green Isle
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Henderson
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Washington County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Shakopee, with the one closest to Shakopee listed first.
    • Newport
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Saint Paul Park
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Cottage Grove
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Landfall
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Landfall is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Landfall
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 733 people
    • Woodbury
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Oakdale
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Oakdale is located in Washington County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oakdale
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 27,773 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oakdale <1>
  • Wright County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Shakopee, with the one closest to Shakopee listed first.
    • Delano
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Rockford
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Hanover
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Montrose
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)

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

Cemeteries Near Shakopee ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Shakopee.

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 Shakopee - one of the links might be able to help.

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

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

  • Calvary Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • Valley Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the northwest)
  • St. Marys Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • St. Marks Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • St. Marys Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Glendale Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Bloomington Ferry Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Eden Prairie Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
  • Eden Prairie Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • St. Michaels Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • St. Pauls Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Dawn Valley Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
  • Continue List   (297 more) ...
    • St. Johns Cemetery
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • St. Hubert's Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Moravian Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)

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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Shakopee had a population of 1,757 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Shakopee had a population of 43,020 people.

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

  • Barden
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the east)
    • Barden is located in Scott County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barden
  • Marystown
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Marystown is located in Scott County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marystown
  • Prior Lake
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Bloomington Ferry
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Bloomington Ferry is located in Hennepin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomington Ferry
  • Eden Prairie
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
  • Merriam
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Merriam is located in Scott County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merriam
  • Chanhassen
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Rowland
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Rowland is located in Hennepin County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rowland
  • Chaska
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
  • Hazeltine
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Hazeltine is located in Carver County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hazeltine
  • Carver
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Lydia
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Lydia is located in Scott County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lydia
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Credit River
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Credit River is located in Scott County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Credit River
    • Excelsior
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Bloomington
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Shakopee ...

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 317 newspapers that have been published in the area around Shakopee.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Shakopee. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Shakopee and those printed in the larger area surrounding Shakopee.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 22 miles [35.4 km]<3> of Shakopee.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we begin with the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These professional and volunteer 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 Shakopee:

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 Shakopee, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<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- Shakopee) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.