RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Oregon >> Union County >> Medical Springs >> Genealogy HelperIndex...










Learn About
The Commemorative
Quarter for
Oregon

The Commemorative Quarter for Oregon





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 Medical Springs (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 Medical Springs. 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 Medical Springs ...

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 Medical Springs: Medical Spgs. (or less commonly used: Medical Spngs. or Medical Sprngs.)

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 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.

Medical Springs is located in Union County.

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

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Union County: Baker, Grant, Umatilla & Wallowa.

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

  • Union County     (The home county of Medical Springs)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Medical Springs, with the one closest to Medical Springs listed first.
    • North Powder
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Powder have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Powder
      • North Powder is located in Union County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 458 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for North Powder <2>
    • Union
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Cove
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Hot Lake
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hot Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hot Lake
      • Hot Lake is located in Union County
    • Conley
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Conley
      • Conley is located in Union County
    • Island City
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Island City
      • Island City is located in Union County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,024 people
    • La Grande
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Baker County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Medical Springs, with the one closest to Medical Springs listed first.
    • Keating
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Keating
      • Keating is located in Baker County
    • Haines
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Hutchinson ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hutchinson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hutchinson
      • Hutchinson is located in Baker County
    • Sparta ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sparta
      • Sparta is located in Baker County
    • Baker City
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baker City
      • Baker City is located in Baker County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 9,876 people
      • Baker City has also been known as:
      • Baker
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Baker City <2>
    • Cornucopia ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cornucopia
      • Cornucopia is located in Baker County
    • Pocahontas ‑ Historic
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pocahontas have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pocahontas
      • Pocahontas is located in Baker County
    • Jimtown
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jimtown
      • Jimtown is located in Baker County
    • New Bridge
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Bridge
      • New Bridge is located in Baker County
    • Auburn ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Auburn
      • Auburn is located in Baker County
    • Halfway
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Richland
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Richland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Richland
      • Richland is located in Baker County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 176 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Richland <2>
    • Bourne
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bourne
      • Bourne is located in Baker County
  • Wallowa County
    • Joseph
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)

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

Newspapers Published in Medical Springs ...

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 27 newspapers that have been published in the area around Medical Springs.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Medical Springs, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Medical Springs.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit 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 Medical Springs:

Cemeteries Near Medical Springs ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Medical Springs.

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

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

  • Dunham Wright Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Dunham Wright Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Dunham Wright Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2557785 <5>
  • Big Creek Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Big Creek Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
    • The Big Creek Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Beagle Creek Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Big Creek Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2191042 <5>
  • Pioneer Cemetery In The Park
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Pioneer Cemetery In The Park is located 13 miles [20.9 km]<3> to the northwest of Union.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pioneer Cemetery In The Park
  • Goose Creek Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • The Goose Creek Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Keating Cemetery
    • Lower Powder Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Goose Creek Cemetery
  • Love Family Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
  • Haines Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
  • Hutchinson Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
  • Sparta Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Union Victorian Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
  • St. Francis de Sales Catholic Cemetery
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
  • Baker City Chinese Cemetery
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
  • Rock Creek Cemetery
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (17 more) ...
    • Mt. Hope Cemetery
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Wingville Cemetery
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Cove Cemetery
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cove 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>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Medical Springs had a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Telocaset
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Telocaset have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Telocaset
    • Telocaset is located in Union County
  • North Powder
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Powder have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Powder
    • North Powder is located in Union County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 458 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for North Powder <2>
  • Haines
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Union
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Sparta ‑ Historic
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sparta
    • Sparta is located in Baker County
  • Baker City
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Baker City
    • Baker City is located in Baker County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 9,876 people
    • Baker City has also been known as:
    • Baker
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Baker City <2>
  • Cove
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Cornucopia ‑ Historic
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cornucopia
    • Cornucopia is located in Baker County
  • Encina
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Encina have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Encina
    • Encina is located in Baker County
  • Hot Lake
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hot Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hot Lake
    • Hot Lake is located in Union County
  • Pleasant Valley
    (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pleasant Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Valley
    • Pleasant Valley is located in Baker County
  • Auburn ‑ Historic
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Auburn
    • Auburn is located in Baker County

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

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

The official website for Union County: www.union-county.org/

The official website for State of Oregon: https://www.oregon.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' (or 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- Medical Springs) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Medical Springs. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 45.0171, Longitude: -117.6285       In this case, the coordinates for Medical Springs have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<4>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.
<5>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.
<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 Medical Springs, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

Copyright 2024
All Rights Reserved

Thank you for visiting our website.

In closing, please keep in mind that we can not guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of the information on this website, so use with care. We encourage you to double-check the information that is critical to you.

If you've found an error or have additional information that you would like to share, please don't hesitate to write: Click here to contact us.

This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024