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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 Willow Creek (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 Willow Creek. 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 Willow Creek ...

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 Willow Creek: Willow Crk. (or less commonly used: Willow Ck. or Willow Cr.)

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

Willow Creek is located in Gallatin 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 Gallatin County: Fremont (ID), Broadwater, Jefferson, Madison, Meagher, Park, Park (WY) & Teton (WY).

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

  • Gallatin County     (The home county of Willow Creek)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Willow Creek, with the one closest to Willow Creek listed first.
    • Three Forks
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Three Forks have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Three Forks
      • Three Forks is located in Gallatin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,043 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Three Forks <2>
    • Manhattan
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Manhattan have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manhattan
      • Manhattan is located in Gallatin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,917 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Manhattan <2>
    • Arnold
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arnold
      • Arnold is located in Gallatin County
    • Amsterdam
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Amsterdam - Churchill
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amsterdam - Churchill
      • Amsterdam - Churchill is located in Gallatin County
    • Churchill
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Churchill
      • Churchill is located in Gallatin County
    • Belgrade
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
    • Hillman
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillman
      • Hillman is located in Gallatin County
    • Four Corners
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Four Corners
      • Four Corners is located in Gallatin County
    • Gallatin Gateway
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Wisner Crossing
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wisner Crossing
      • Wisner Crossing is located in Gallatin County
    • Catron
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Catron
      • Catron is located in Gallatin County
  • Broadwater County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Willow Creek, with the one closest to Willow Creek listed first.
    • Copper City
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Copper City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Copper City
      • Copper City is located in Broadwater County
    • Crow Creek City ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Crow Creek City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crow Creek City
      • Crow Creek City is located in Broadwater County
    • Radersburg
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Toston
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
  • Jefferson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Willow Creek, with the one closest to Willow Creek listed first.
    • Cardwell
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cardwell have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cardwell
      • Cardwell is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cardwell <2>
    • Whitehall
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Whitehall have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitehall
      • Whitehall is located in Jefferson County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,160 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Whitehall <2>
    • Piedmont
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Piedmont
      • Piedmont is located in Jefferson County
    • Pipestone Hot Springs
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pipestone Hot Springs
      • Pipestone Hot Springs is located in Jefferson County
  • Madison County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Willow Creek, with the one closest to Willow Creek listed first.
    • Harrison
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Jefferson Island
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jefferson Island
      • Jefferson Island is located in Madison County
    • Pony ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Norris
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Strawberry ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Strawberry. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Strawberry
      • Strawberry is located in Madison County
    • Mammoth
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mammoth
      • Mammoth is located in Madison County
    • McAllister
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)

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

Newspapers Published in Willow Creek ...

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 21 newspapers that have been published in the area around Willow Creek.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Willow Creek, there are papers which were published within 25 miles [40.2 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Willow Creek.

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 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 Willow Creek:

Cemeteries Near Willow Creek ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Willow Creek.

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 Willow Creek covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

  • Mt. Green Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Green Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Green Cemetery
  • Willow Creek Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Willow Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Willow Creek Cemetery
  • Stateler Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Stateler Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Stateler Cemetery
  • Sappington Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sappington Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sappington Cemetery
  • Fairview Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fairview Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fairview Cemetery
  • Harrison Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Harrison Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Harrison Cemetery
  • Logan Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Logan Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Logan Cemetery
  • Headwaters Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Headwaters Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Headwaters Cemetery
  • Black Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Black Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Black Cemetery
  • South Boulder Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the South Boulder Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the South Boulder Cemetery
  • Valley View Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Red Bluff Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
  • Continue List   (24 more) ...
    • Meadowview Cemetery
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Meadowview Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Meadowview Cemetery
    • Churchill Cemetery
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Hills Cemetery
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hills Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hills 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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Willow Creek had a population of 47 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Three Forks
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Three Forks have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Three Forks
    • Three Forks is located in Gallatin County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,043 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Three Forks <2>
  • Gallatin ‑ Historic
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gallatin have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gallatin
    • Gallatin is located in Gallatin County
  • Harrison
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Logan
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Logan have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Logan
    • Logan is located in Gallatin County
  • Jefferson Island
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jefferson Island
    • Jefferson Island is located in Madison County
  • Manhattan
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Manhattan have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manhattan
    • Manhattan is located in Gallatin County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,917 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Manhattan <2>
  • Pony ‑ Historic
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Red Bluff
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Red Bluff have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Red Bluff
    • Red Bluff is located in Madison County
  • Norris
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
  • Whitehall
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Whitehall have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitehall
    • Whitehall is located in Jefferson County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,160 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Whitehall <2>
  • Belgrade
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
  • Toston
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (5 more) ...
    • Story
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Story have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Story
      • Story is located in Gallatin County
    • Gallop ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gallop have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gallop
      • Gallop is located in Gallatin County
    • Pipestone
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pipestone have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pipestone
      • Pipestone is located in Jefferson County

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

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

The official website for Gallatin County: www.co.gallatin.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>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>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 drawn from Point A (ie- Willow Creek) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Willow Creek. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 45.8261, Longitude: -111.6450    
<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 Willow Creek, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024