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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 Thompson 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 Thompson 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.

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 hospitals 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.

Thompson Falls is located in Sanders County and is the County Seat.

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 Sanders County: Bonner (ID), Shoshone (ID), Flathead, Lake, Lincoln, Mineral & Missoula.

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

  • Sanders County     (The home county of Thompson Falls)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Thompson Falls, with the one closest to Thompson Falls listed first.
    • Eddy
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eddy
      • Eddy is located in Sanders County
    • Trout Creek
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Trout Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trout Creek
      • Trout Creek is located in Sanders County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Trout Creek <2>
    • Plains
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Plains have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plains
      • Plains is located in Sanders County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,139 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Plains <2>
    • Paradise
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Paradise have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Paradise
      • Paradise is located in Sanders County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Paradise <2>
    • Island City ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Island City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Island City
      • Island City is located in Sanders County
  • Mineral County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Thompson Falls, with the one closest to Thompson Falls listed first.
    • De Borgia
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for De Borgia have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for De Borgia
      • De Borgia is located in Mineral County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for De Borgia <2>
    • Haugan
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Saltese
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Cabin City
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cabin City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cabin City
      • Cabin City is located in Mineral County
    • East Portal ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Portal
      • East Portal is located in Mineral County
    • Saint Regis
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
  • Shoshone County (ID)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Thompson Falls, with the one closest to Thompson Falls listed first.
    • Mullan
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mullan have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mullan
      • Mullan is located in Shoshone County (ID)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 691 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mullan <2>
    • Burke ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Burke have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burke
      • Burke is located in Shoshone County (ID)
    • Murray
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Murray have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Murray
      • Murray is located in Shoshone County (ID)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Murray <2>
    • Frisco
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Frisco have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frisco
      • Frisco is located in Shoshone County (ID)
    • Carbon Center
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carbon Center
      • Carbon Center is located in Shoshone County (ID)
    • Woodland Park
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodland Park
      • Woodland Park is located in Shoshone County (ID)
    • Wallace
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wallace
      • Wallace is located in Shoshone County (ID)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 778 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wallace <2>
    • Silverton
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Silverton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Silverton
      • Silverton is located in Shoshone County (ID)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Silverton <2>

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Thompson 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 40 newspapers that have been published in the area around Thompson Falls.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Thompson Falls. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Thompson Falls and those printed in the larger area surrounding Thompson Falls.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 28 miles [45.1 km]<3> of Thompson 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 Thompson Falls:

Cemeteries Near Thompson Falls ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Thompson 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.

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 Thompson Falls covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Wild Rose Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
  • Fraternal Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • The Fraternal Cemetery has also been known as:
    • IOOF Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fraternal Cemetery
  • VFW Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the VFW Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the VFW Cemetery
  • Whitepine Trout Creek Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Saltese Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Saltese Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Saltese Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2314870 <4>
  • De Borgia Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
  • Dominion Peak Cemetery
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Dominion Peak Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<5>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Dominion Peak Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2420831 <4>
  • St. Regis Cemetery
    (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
  • Lynch Cemetery
    (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lynch Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lynch Cemetery
  • Continue List   (6 more) ...
    • Plains Cemetery
      (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Plains Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Plains Cemetery
    • Murray Cemetery
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Murray Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Murray Cemetery
    • United Cemetery
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the United Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the United Cemetery
    • Miners Union Cemetery
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Miners Union Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Miners Union Cemetery
    • Paradise Cemetery
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Paradise Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Paradise 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.<6>

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

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

  • Belknap
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Belknap have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Belknap
    • Belknap is located in Sanders County
  • Eddy
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eddy
    • Eddy is located in Sanders County
  • Childs
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Childs have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Childs
    • Childs is located in Sanders County
  • Saltese
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
  • De Borgia
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for De Borgia have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for De Borgia
    • De Borgia is located in Mineral County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for De Borgia <2>
  • Borax
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Borax have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Borax
    • Borax is located in Mineral County
  • Trout Creek
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Trout Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trout Creek
    • Trout Creek is located in Sanders County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Trout Creek <2>
  • Burke ‑ Historic
    (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Burke have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burke
    • Burke is located in Shoshone County (ID)
  • Mullan
    (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mullan have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mullan
    • Mullan is located in Shoshone County (ID)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 691 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mullan <2>
  • Saint Regis
    (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
  • Plains
    (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Plains have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plains
    • Plains is located in Sanders County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,139 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Plains <2>
  • Murray
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Murray have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Murray
    • Murray is located in Shoshone County (ID)
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Murray <2>
  • Continue List   (6 more) ...
    • Frisco
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Frisco have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frisco
      • Frisco is located in Shoshone County (ID)
    • Tuscor
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tuscor have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tuscor
      • Tuscor is located in Sanders County
    • Eagle
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eagle have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagle
      • Eagle is located in Shoshone County (ID)

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

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

The official website for Sanders County: www.co.sanders.mt.us/

The official website for State of Montana: https://mt.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>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 drawn from Point A (ie- Thompson Falls) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Thompson Falls. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 47.6005, Longitude: -115.3382       In this case, the coordinates for Thompson Falls have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<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>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.
<6>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 Thompson Falls, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024