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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 Rainier (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 Rainier. 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 doctors 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.

Rainier is located in Columbia County.

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

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Columbia County: Clatsop, Multnomah, Washington, Clark (WA), Cowlitz (WA) & Wahkiakum (WA).

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

  • Columbia County     (The home county of Rainier)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rainier, with the one closest to Rainier listed first.
    • Beaver Springs
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
      • Beaver Springs is located in Columbia County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaver Springs
    • Prescott
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Prescott is located in Columbia County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prescott
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 63 people
    • Goble
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Goble is located in Columbia County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goble
    • Reuben
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Reuben is located in Columbia County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reuben
    • Mayger
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Mayger is located in Columbia County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayger
    • Quincy
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Quincy is located in Columbia County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quincy
    • Deer Island
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Clatskanie
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Columbia City
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Pittsburg
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Pittsburg is located in Columbia County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pittsburg
    • Saint Helens
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Vernonia
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Fishhawk ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
      • Fishhawk is located in Columbia County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fishhawk
  • Clatsop County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rainier, with the one closest to Rainier listed first.
    • Westport
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Clifton
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Clifton is located in Clatsop County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clifton
    • Jewell
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Jewell is located in Clatsop County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jewell
    • Brownsmead
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Brownsmead is located in Clatsop County
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownsmead
  • Washington County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rainier, with the one closest to Rainier listed first.
    • Buxton
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
    • Timber
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
  • Clark County (WA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rainier, with the one closest to Rainier listed first.
    • Woodland
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Etna
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Etna is located in Clark County (WA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Etna
    • La Center
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Ridgefield
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Pioneer
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Pioneer is located in Clark County (WA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pioneer
    • Fargher Lake
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Fargher Lake is located in Clark County (WA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fargher Lake
    • Amboy
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
    • King Corner
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • King Corner is located in Clark County (WA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for King Corner
    • Sara
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Sara is located in Clark County (WA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sara
    • Cherry Grove
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Cherry Grove is located in Clark County (WA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherry Grove
    • Dollar's Corner
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Dollar's Corner is located in Clark County (WA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dollar's Corner
    • Battle Ground
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Felida
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Felida is located in Clark County (WA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Felida
  • Cowlitz County (WA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rainier, with the one closest to Rainier listed first.
    • Longview
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
      • Longview is located in Cowlitz County (WA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longview
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 38,515 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Longview <1>
    • Carrolls
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
    • Kelso
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Kelso is located in Cowlitz County (WA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kelso
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 12,438 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kelso <1>
    • Rose Valley
      (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
      • Rose Valley is located in Cowlitz County (WA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rose Valley
    • West Longview
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • West Longview is located in Cowlitz County (WA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Longview
    • Longview Heights
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Longview Heights is located in Cowlitz County (WA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longview Heights
    • Ostrander
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Ostrander is located in Cowlitz County (WA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ostrander
    • Kalama
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Kalama is located in Cowlitz County (WA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kalama
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,844 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kalama <1>
    • Coal Creek
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Coal Creek is located in Cowlitz County (WA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coal Creek
    • Pleasant Hill
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • Pleasant Hill is located in Cowlitz County (WA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasant Hill
    • Stella
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Stella is located in Cowlitz County (WA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stella
    • Bunker Hill
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Bunker Hill is located in Cowlitz County (WA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bunker Hill
    • Castle Rock
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
  • Lewis County (WA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rainier, with the one closest to Rainier listed first.
    • Vader
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
      • Vader is located in Lewis County (WA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vader
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 677 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Vader <1>
    • Toledo
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Toledo is located in Lewis County (WA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Toledo
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 785 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Toledo <1>
    • Winlock
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
      • Winlock is located in Lewis County (WA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winlock
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,490 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Winlock <1>
    • Saint Urban
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
      • Saint Urban is located in Lewis County (WA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Urban
  • Wahkiakum County (WA)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rainier, with the one closest to Rainier listed first.
    • Eagle Cliff
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Eagle Cliff is located in Wahkiakum County (WA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagle Cliff
    • East Cathlamet
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • East Cathlamet is located in Wahkiakum County (WA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Cathlamet
    • Cathlamet
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Skamokawa
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)

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

Cemeteries Near Rainier ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Rainier.

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.

Although we don't have the information ourselves, if you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our list of websites on our Genealogy Helper Page for Rainier - one of the links might be able to help.

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Rainier covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

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

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.<4>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Rainier had a population of 238 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, Rainier had a population of 2,021 people.

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

  • Carrolls
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)
  • Kelso
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Kelso is located in Cowlitz County (WA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kelso
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 12,438 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kelso <1>
  • Apiary ‑ Historic
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Apiary is located in Columbia County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Apiary
  • Reuben
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Reuben is located in Columbia County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reuben
  • Goble
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Goble is located in Columbia County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goble
  • Lexington
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Lexington is located in Cowlitz County (WA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lexington
  • Kalama
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Kalama is located in Cowlitz County (WA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kalama
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,844 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kalama <1>
  • Mayger
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Mayger is located in Columbia County
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayger
  • Stella
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Stella is located in Cowlitz County (WA)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stella
  • Deer Island
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Castle Rock
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
  • Clatskanie
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (19 more) ...
    • Oak Point
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Oak Point is located in Cowlitz County (WA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Point
    • Caples
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Caples is located in Cowlitz County (WA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caples
    • Eagle Cliff
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Eagle Cliff is located in Wahkiakum County (WA)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagle Cliff

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Rainier ...

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 75 newspapers that have been published in the area around Rainier.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Rainier. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Rainier and those printed in the larger area surrounding Rainier.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 28 miles [45.1 km]<3> of Rainier.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to start 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 Rainier:

Footnotes ...

<1>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<2>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.
<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 from Point A (ie- Rainier) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'.
<4>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 Rainier, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.