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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 Oriska (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 Oriska. 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 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.

Oriska is located in Barnes County.

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

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Barnes County: Cass, Griggs, LaMoure, Ransom, Steele & Stutsman.

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

  • Barnes County     (The home county of Oriska)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oriska, with the one closest to Oriska listed first.
    • North Valley City
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Valley City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Valley City
      • North Valley City is located in Barnes County
    • Valley City
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Fingal
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fingal have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fingal
      • Fingal is located in Barnes County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 86 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fingal <2>
    • Nome
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Pillsbury
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pillsbury have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pillsbury
      • Pillsbury is located in Barnes County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 11 people
    • Kathryn
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Sanborn
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Rogers
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rogers have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rogers
      • Rogers is located in Barnes County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 42 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rogers <2>
    • Sibley
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sibley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sibley
      • Sibley is located in Barnes County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 28 people
    • Eckelson
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Dazey
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dazey have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dazey
      • Dazey is located in Barnes County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 93 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dazey <2>
    • Litchville
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
  • Cass County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oriska, with the one closest to Oriska listed first.
    • Tower City
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • Buffalo
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Buffalo have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buffalo
      • Buffalo is located in Cass County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 182 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Buffalo <2>
    • Ayr
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ayr have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ayr
      • Ayr is located in Cass County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 16 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ayr <2>
    • Alice
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alice
      • Alice is located in Cass County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 40 people
    • Nolan ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nolan have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nolan
      • Nolan is located in Cass County
    • Absaraka
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Page
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Page have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Page
      • Page is located in Cass County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 229 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Page <2>
    • Wheatland
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wheatland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheatland
      • Wheatland is located in Cass County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wheatland <2>
    • Erie
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Erie have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erie
      • Erie is located in Cass County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Erie <2>
    • Chaffee
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Amenia
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Casselton
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
  • Griggs County
    • Walum
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Walum
      • Walum is located in Griggs County
  • Ransom County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oriska, with the one closest to Oriska listed first.
    • Enderlin
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
    • Sheldon
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Fort Ransom
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
  • Steele County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Oriska, with the one closest to Oriska listed first.
    • Luverne
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Luverne have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Luverne
      • Luverne is located in Steele County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 29 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Luverne <2>
    • Hope
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hope have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hope
      • Hope is located in Steele County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 250 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hope <2>
  • Traill County
    • Galesburg
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Galesburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galesburg
      • Galesburg is located in Traill County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 101 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Galesburg <2>

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Oriska ...

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 89 newspapers that have been published in the area around Oriska.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Oriska. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Oriska and those printed in the larger area surrounding Oriska.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<3> of Oriska.

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 websites either 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 Oriska:

Cemeteries Near Oriska ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Oriska.

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

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

  • St. Bernards Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Bernards Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Bernards Cemetery
  • Oriska Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Oriska Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Oriska Cemetery
  • Memory Gardens Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Memory Gardens Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Memory Gardens Cemetery
  • Greenwood Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Greenwood Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Greenwood Cemetery
  • Prairie Rest Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Prairie Rest Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Prairie Rest Cemetery
  • Holy Trinity Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Holy Trinity Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Holy Trinity Cemetery
  • Hillside Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • St. Catherines Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
  • Woodbine Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
  • Holy Trinity Catholic Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
  • Holy Trinity Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Holy Trinity Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Holy Trinity Cemetery
  • Morton Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Morton Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Morton Cemetery
  • Continue List   (50 more) ...

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 Oriska had a population of 147 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Oriska had a population of 109 people.

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

  • Tower City
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
  • Cuba
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cuba have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cuba
    • Cuba is located in Barnes County
  • Valley City
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
  • Fingal
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fingal have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fingal
    • Fingal is located in Barnes County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 86 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fingal <2>
  • Buffalo
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Buffalo have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buffalo
    • Buffalo is located in Cass County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 182 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Buffalo <2>
  • Berea
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Berea have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Berea
    • Berea is located in Barnes County
  • Lucca
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lucca have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lucca
    • Lucca is located in Barnes County
  • Ayr
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ayr have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ayr
    • Ayr is located in Cass County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 16 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ayr <2>
  • Daily
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Daily have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Daily
    • Daily is located in Barnes County
  • Magnolia
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Magnolia have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Magnolia
    • Magnolia is located in Cass County
  • Absaraka
    (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
  • Page
    (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Page have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Page
    • Page is located in Cass County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 229 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Page <2>
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Ashtabula ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ashtabula have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashtabula
      • Ashtabula is located in Barnes County
    • Wheatland
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wheatland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheatland
      • Wheatland is located in Cass County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wheatland <2>
    • Sanborn
      (20 miles [32.2 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 Oriska. See our List of 1890's Communities around Oriska.

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

The official website for Barnes County: www.co.barnes.nd.us/

The official website for State of North Dakota: www.nd.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 '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- Oriska) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Oriska. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 46.9314, Longitude: -97.7890       In this case, the coordinates for Oriska 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>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 Oriska, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.









 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024