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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 Eagle Nest (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 Eagle Nest. 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 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.

Eagle Nest is located in Colfax County.

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

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Colfax County: Costilla (CO), Las Animas (CO), Harding, Mora, Taos & Union.

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

  • Colfax County     (The home county of Eagle Nest)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Eagle Nest, with the one closest to Eagle Nest listed first.
    • Virginia City ‑ Historic
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Virginia City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Virginia City
      • Virginia City is located in Colfax County
    • Idlewild
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Idlewild
      • Idlewild is located in Colfax County
    • Lakeview Pines
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeview Pines
      • Lakeview Pines is located in Colfax County
    • Ute Park
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Angel Fire
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Cimarron
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Dawson ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dawson
      • Dawson is located in Colfax County
    • Lauretta ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Lauretta. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lauretta
      • Lauretta is located in Colfax County
    • Miami
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Mora County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Eagle Nest, with the one closest to Eagle Nest listed first.
    • Halls Peak ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Halls Peak. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Halls Peak
      • Halls Peak is located in Mora County
    • Los Huerros
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Los Huerros
      • Los Huerros is located in Mora County
    • Chacon
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Guadalupita
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Ocate
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Taos County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Eagle Nest, with the one closest to Eagle Nest listed first.
    • Taos Ski Valley
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Taos Ski Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taos Ski Valley
      • Taos Ski Valley is located in Taos County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 76 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Taos Ski Valley <2>
    • Red River
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Valle Escondido
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Taos Pueblo
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Taos Pueblo have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Taos Pueblo
      • Taos Pueblo is located in Taos County
    • Shady Brook
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shady Brook
      • Shady Brook is located in Taos County
    • Arroyo Seco
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Kiowa Village
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kiowa Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kiowa Village
      • Kiowa Village is located in Taos County
    • Valdez
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • El Prado
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Canon
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canon
      • Canon is located in Taos County
    • Taos
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Lama
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lama
      • Lama is located in Taos County

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

Cemeteries Near Eagle Nest ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Eagle Nest.

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

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

  • Jackson Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Jackson Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Jackson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Red River Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Black Lake Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Black Lake Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Black Lake Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Ponil Park
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ponil Park
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Ponil Park is located 18 miles [29 km]<5> to the southeast of Cimarron.
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2303722 <4>
  • Cimmarron Cemetery
    (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cimmarron Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Cimmarron Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the southwest of Cimarron.
    • The Cimmarron Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Mountain View Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #38005 <4>
  • Campo Santo del Pueblo Cemetery
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Campo Santo del Pueblo Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Campo Santo del Pueblo Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Sierra Vista Cemetery
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sierra Vista Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sierra Vista Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Kit Carson Cemetery
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Kit Carson Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Kit Carson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Los Cruces Cemetery
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Los Cruces Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Los Cruces Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Canon Brethren Cemetery
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Canon Brethren Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Canon Brethren Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Los Dolores Cemetery
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Los Dolores Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Los Dolores Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Colonias Cemetery
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Colonias Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Colonias Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (23 more) ...
    • LaLoma Cemetery
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the LaLoma Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the LaLoma Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Veterans Cemetery
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Veterans Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Veterans Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Graham Cemetery
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Graham Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Graham Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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 Eagle Nest in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Eagle Nest.

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

  • Elizabethtown ‑ Historic
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elizabethtown have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elizabethtown
    • Elizabethtown is located in Colfax County
  • Arroyo Seco
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
  • Cimarron
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
  • Taos
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
  • Questa
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Questa have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Questa
    • Questa is located in Taos County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,741 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Questa <2>
  • Arroyo Hondo
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
  • Halls Peak ‑ Historic
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Halls Peak. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Halls Peak
    • Halls Peak is located in Mora County
  • Cerro
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
  • Guadalupita
    (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
  • Ocate
    (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Eagle Nest ...

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 48 newspapers that have been published in the area around Eagle Nest.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Eagle Nest. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Eagle Nest and those printed in the larger area surrounding Eagle Nest.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 27 miles [43.5 km]<5> of Eagle Nest.

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 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 Eagle Nest:

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

The official website for State of New Mexico: https://www.nm.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>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>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- Eagle Nest) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Eagle Nest. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 36.5495, Longitude: -105.2592       In this case, the coordinates for Eagle Nest have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<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 Eagle Nest, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 28 Apr 2025