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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 Pilot Rock (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 Pilot Rock. 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 and doctors 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.

Pilot Rock is located in Umatilla 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 Umatilla County: Grant, Morrow, Union, Wallowa, Benton (WA), Columbia (WA) & Walla Walla (WA).

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

  • Umatilla County     (The home county of Pilot Rock)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pilot Rock, with the one closest to Pilot Rock listed first.
    • Tutuilla
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tutuilla have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tutuilla
      • Tutuilla is located in Umatilla County
    • Pendleton
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pendleton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pendleton
      • Pendleton is located in Umatilla County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 16,593 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pendleton <2>
    • Riverside
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Riverside have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Riverside
      • Riverside is located in Umatilla County
    • Mission
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mission have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mission
      • Mission is located in Umatilla County
    • Kirkpatrick
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kirkpatrick
      • Kirkpatrick is located in Umatilla County
    • Cayuse
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Meacham
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Adams
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Adams have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adams
      • Adams is located in Umatilla County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 359 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Adams <2>
    • Lehman Springs
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lehman Springs
      • Lehman Springs is located in Umatilla County
      • Lehman Springs has also been known as:
      • Lehman Hot Springs
      • Lehman
    • Ukiah
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ukiah have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ukiah
      • Ukiah is located in Umatilla County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 194 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ukiah <2>
    • Echo
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Echo have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Echo
      • Echo is located in Umatilla County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 705 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Echo <2>
    • Helix
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Helix have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Helix
      • Helix is located in Umatilla County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 191 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Helix <2>
  • Morrow County
    • Pine City
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine City
      • Pine City is located in Morrow County
  • Union County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Pilot Rock, with the one closest to Pilot Rock listed first.
    • Starkey
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Hilgard
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hilgard have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hilgard
      • Hilgard is located in Union County

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Pilot Rock ...

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 Pilot Rock.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Pilot Rock. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Pilot Rock and those printed in the larger area surrounding Pilot Rock.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<3> of Pilot Rock.

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 Pilot Rock:

Cemeteries Near Pilot Rock ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Pilot Rock.

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

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

  • Pilot Rock Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pilot Rock Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pilot Rock Cemetery
  • Skyview Memorial Park
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Skyview Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Skyview Memorial Park
  • Pond Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • The Pond Cemetery has also been known as:
    • McKay Creek Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pond Cemetery
  • Warner Family Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Warner Family Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Warner Family Cemetery
  • Tutuilla Presbyterian Indian Mission Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Darr Grave
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Darr Grave have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Darr Grave
  • Olney Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
  • Vinson Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Vinson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Vinson Cemetery
  • St. Andrews Mission Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Andrews Mission Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Andrews Mission Cemetery
  • Agency Indian Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Agency Indian Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Agency Indian Cemetery
  • Old Agency Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Old Agency Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Old Agency Cemetery
  • Despain Gulch Cemetery
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Despain Gulch Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Despain Gulch Cemetery
  • Continue List   (26 more) ...
    • Patterson Grave
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Patterson Grave have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Patterson Grave
    • Albee Cemetery
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Meacham Cemetery
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Meacham Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Meacham 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 Pilot Rock had a population of 239 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, Pilot Rock had a population of 1,507 people.

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

  • Nye
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nye have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nye
    • Nye is located in Umatilla County
  • Barnhart
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Barnhart have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barnhart
    • Barnhart is located in Umatilla County
  • Vinson
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Vinson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vinson
    • Vinson is located in Umatilla County
  • Pendleton
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pendleton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pendleton
    • Pendleton is located in Umatilla County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 16,593 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pendleton <2>
  • Mission
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mission have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mission
    • Mission is located in Umatilla County
  • Yoakum
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Yoakum have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Yoakum
    • Yoakum is located in Umatilla County
  • Fulton
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fulton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fulton
    • Fulton is located in Umatilla County
  • Cayuse
    (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
  • Havana
    (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Havana have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Havana
    • Havana is located in Umatilla County
  • Nolin
    (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nolin have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nolin
    • Nolin is located in Umatilla County
  • Meacham
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
  • Kamela
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kamela have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kamela
    • Kamela is located in Union County
  • Continue List   (11 more) ...
    • Lena
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lena have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lena
      • Lena is located in Morrow County
    • Adams
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Adams have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Adams
      • Adams is located in Umatilla County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 359 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Adams <2>
    • Ukiah
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ukiah have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ukiah
      • Ukiah is located in Umatilla County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 194 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ukiah <2>

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

The official website for Pilot Rock: www.cityofpilotrock.org/

The official website for Umatilla County: www.co.umatilla.or.us/

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- Pilot Rock) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Pilot Rock. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 45.4819, Longitude: -118.8328    
<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 Pilot Rock, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024