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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 Ruggs (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 Ruggs. 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 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.

Ruggs is located in Morrow 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 Morrow County: Gilliam, Grant, Umatilla, Wheeler, Benton (WA) & Klickitat (WA).

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

  • Morrow County     (The home county of Ruggs)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ruggs, with the one closest to Ruggs listed first.
    • Hardman
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hardman
      • Hardman is located in Morrow County
      • Hardman has also been known as:
      • Dairyville
      • Dogtown
      • Raw Dog
      • Yaller Dog
    • Eightmile
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Eightmile. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eightmile
      • Eightmile is located in Morrow County
    • Heppner
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Gooseberry
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Gooseberry. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gooseberry
      • Gooseberry is located in Morrow County
    • Lexington
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Ione
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Heck and Gone ‑ Historic
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Heck and Gone. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heck and Gone
      • Heck and Gone is located in Morrow County
    • Alpine
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Alpine. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alpine
      • Alpine is located in Morrow County
    • Pine City
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine City
      • Pine City is located in Morrow County
  • Gilliam County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ruggs, with the one closest to Ruggs listed first.
    • Lonerock
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lonerock
      • Lonerock is located in Gilliam County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 22 people
    • Condon
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
    • Clem
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Clem. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clem
      • Clem is located in Gilliam County
    • Mayville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayville
      • Mayville is located in Gilliam County
    • Olex
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Olex. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olex
      • Olex is located in Gilliam County
  • Wheeler County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ruggs, with the one closest to Ruggs listed first.
    • Winlock
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winlock
      • Winlock is located in Wheeler County
    • Kinzua ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kinzua
      • Kinzua is located in Wheeler County
    • Spray
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)

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

Cemeteries Near Ruggs ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Ruggs.

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

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

  • Hardman IOOF Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hardman IOOF Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hardman IOOF Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Hardman Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hardman Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hardman Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Rhea Creek Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rhea Creek Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rhea Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Junkins Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Junkins Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Junkins Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Heppner Masonic Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Heppner Masonic Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Heppner Masonic Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the south of Heppner.
    • The Heppner Masonic Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Masonic Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #39092 <4>
  • Valby Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Valby Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Valby Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Gooseberry Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Gooseberry Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Gooseberry Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Lexington Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lexington Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lexington Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Lonerock Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lonerock Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lonerock Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Petteys Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Petteys Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Petteys Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Lost Valley Cemetery
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lost Valley Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lost Valley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Highview Cemetery
    (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Highview Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Highview Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (23 more) ...
    • Brown Cemetery
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Brown Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Brown Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Papersack Cemetery
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Pleasant Point Cemetery
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)

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>

While we didn't find Ruggs in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Ruggs.

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

  • Hardman
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hardman
    • Hardman is located in Morrow County
    • Hardman has also been known as:
    • Dairyville
    • Dogtown
    • Raw Dog
    • Yaller Dog
  • Eightmile
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Eightmile. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eightmile
    • Eightmile is located in Morrow County
  • Heppner
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Gooseberry
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Gooseberry. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gooseberry
    • Gooseberry is located in Morrow County
  • Lexington
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
  • Lonerock
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lonerock
    • Lonerock is located in Gilliam County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 22 people
  • Ione
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Lena
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lena have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lena
    • Lena is located in Morrow County
  • Galloway ‑ Historic
    (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Galloway have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Galloway
    • Galloway is located in Morrow County
  • Condon
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
  • Alpine
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Alpine. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Alpine
    • Alpine is located in Morrow County
  • Ella
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ella have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ella
    • Ella is located in Morrow County
  • Continue List   (5 more) ...
    • Mayville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayville
      • Mayville is located in Gilliam County
    • Cecil
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cecil have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cecil
      • Cecil is located in Morrow County
    • Clem
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Clem. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clem
      • Clem is located in Gilliam County

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

Newspapers Published in Ruggs ...

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 21 newspapers that have been published in the area around Ruggs.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Ruggs, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Ruggs.

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 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 Ruggs:

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

The official website for Morrow County: www.morrowcountyoregon.com/

The official website for State of Oregon: https://www.oregon.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>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.
<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 Ruggs, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<6>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- Ruggs) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Ruggs. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 45.2635, Longitude: -119.6867       In this case, the coordinates for Ruggs have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025