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The Commemorative Quarter for Montana





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 Big Sag (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 Big Sag. 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 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.

Big Sag is located in Chouteau County.

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

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Chouteau County: Blaine, Cascade, Fergus, Hill, Judith Basin, Liberty, Pondera & Teton.

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

  • Chouteau County     (The home county of Big Sag)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Big Sag, with the one closest to Big Sag listed first.
    • Highwood
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Fort Benton
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fort Benton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Benton
      • Fort Benton is located in Chouteau County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,442 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fort Benton <1>
    • Carter
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Carter have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carter
      • Carter is located in Chouteau County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Carter <1>
    • Floweree
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Geraldine
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Geraldine have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Geraldine
      • Geraldine is located in Chouteau County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 251 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Geraldine <1>
    • Loma
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
  • Cascade County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Big Sag, with the one closest to Big Sag listed first.
    • Belt
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Belt have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belt
      • Belt is located in Cascade County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 568 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Belt <1>
    • Armington
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Armington
      • Armington is located in Cascade County
    • Armington Junction
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Armington Junction
      • Armington Junction is located in Cascade County
    • Sand Coulee
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Stockett
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Black Eagle
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Black Eagle have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Black Eagle
      • Black Eagle is located in Cascade County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Black Eagle <1>
    • Countryside Village
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Countryside Village have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Countryside Village
      • Countryside Village is located in Cascade County
    • Great Falls
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
  • Judith Basin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Big Sag, with the one closest to Big Sag listed first.
    • Raynesford
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Geyser
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Arrow Creek
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arrow Creek
      • Arrow Creek is located in Judith Basin County

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

Newspapers Published in Big Sag ...

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 44 newspapers that have been published in the area around Big Sag.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Big Sag, 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 Big Sag.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Big Sag:

Cemeteries Near Big Sag ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Big Sag.

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 Big Sag covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Upper Highwood Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Upper Highwood Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Upper Highwood Cemetery
  • Upper Shonkin Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Upper Shonkin Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Upper Shonkin Cemetery
  • Lower Belt Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lower Belt Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lower Belt Cemetery
  • Big Willow Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Big Willow Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Big Willow Cemetery
  • Big Willow Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Big Willow Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Big Willow Cemetery
  • Montague Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Riverside Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Riverside Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Riverside Cemetery
  • McLeish Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the McLeish Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the McLeish Cemetery
  • Carter Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Pleasant View Cemetery
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
  • Geraldine Cemetery
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
  • Pleasant Valley Colony Cemetery
    (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Sand Coulee Cemetery
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Clear Lake Cemetery
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Clear Lake Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Clear Lake Cemetery
    • Goodman Cemetery
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Goodman Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Goodman 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.<5>

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

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

  • Highwood
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
  • Tunis
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tunis have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tunis
    • Tunis is located in Chouteau County
  • Fort Benton
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fort Benton have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Benton
    • Fort Benton is located in Chouteau County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,442 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fort Benton <1>
  • Belt
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Belt have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belt
    • Belt is located in Cascade County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 568 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Belt <1>
  • Floweree
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Armington
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Armington
    • Armington is located in Cascade County
  • Portage
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Portage have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Portage
    • Portage is located in Cascade County
  • Sand Coulee
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
  • North Great Falls ‑ Historic
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Great Falls have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Great Falls
    • North Great Falls is located in Cascade County
  • Watson ‑ Historic
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Watson have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Watson
    • Watson is located in Cascade County
  • Great Falls
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)

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

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

The official website for Chouteau County: www.co.chouteau.mt.us/

The official website for State of Montana: https://mt.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 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Big Sag) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Big Sag. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 47.5974, Longitude: -110.7132    
<4>The Find-a-Grave website is an excellent research tool with information about a cemetery's location and interments. They also offer a forum for their members which can provide additional help. More information about Find-a-Grave can be found on their website: findagrave.com.
<5>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 Big Sag, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024