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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 Shaniko (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 Shaniko. 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 Shaniko ...

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.

Shaniko was originally named Cross Hollows

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.

A Few Details for Shaniko ...

While it's still very early in our research, we found that:

  • The naming (or the toponymy) of Shaniko: Named after August Scherneckau (1838-1923), an early settler in this area.
  • The city of Shaniko was established in 1879.
  • It was incorporated in 1901.

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 northeast 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 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 east 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.

Shaniko is located in Wasco 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 Wasco County: Clackamas, Gilliam, Hood River, Jefferson, Marion, Sherman, Wheeler & Klickitat (WA).

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

  • Wasco County     (The home county of Shaniko)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Shaniko, with the one closest to Shaniko listed first.
    • Antelope
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Clarno
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarno
      • Clarno is located in Wasco County
    • Maupin
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Maupin have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maupin
      • Maupin is located in Wasco County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 429 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Maupin <1>
    • Wapinitia
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wapinitia
      • Wapinitia is located in Wasco County
    • Tygh Valley
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Wamic
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wamic have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wamic
      • Wamic is located in Wasco County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wamic <1>
    • Simnasho
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simnasho
      • Simnasho is located in Wasco County
    • Pine Grove
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine Grove
      • Pine Grove is located in Wasco County
  • Gilliam County
    • Mayville
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayville
      • Mayville is located in Gilliam County
  • Jefferson County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Shaniko, with the one closest to Shaniko listed first.
    • Donnybrook ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Donnybrook have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Donnybrook
      • Donnybrook is located in Jefferson County
      • Former names for Donnybrook:
      • Axehandle
      • Kilts
    • Ashwood
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Horse Heaven ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Horse Heaven
      • Horse Heaven is located in Jefferson County
    • Mecca
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mecca
      • Mecca is located in Jefferson County
    • Warm Springs
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Warm Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Warm Springs
      • Warm Springs is located in Jefferson County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Warm Springs <1>
  • Sherman County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Shaniko, with the one closest to Shaniko listed first.
    • Kent
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Rosebush ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rosebush have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosebush
      • Rosebush is located in Sherman County
    • Grass Valley
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grass Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grass Valley
      • Grass Valley is located in Sherman County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 167 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Grass Valley <1>
  • Wheeler County
    • Fossil
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Shaniko ...

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 7 newspapers that have been published in the area around Shaniko.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Shaniko. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Shaniko and those printed in the larger area surrounding Shaniko.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 26 miles [41.8 km]<3> of Shaniko.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These professional and volunteer 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 Shaniko:

Cemeteries Near Shaniko ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Shaniko.

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

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

  • Antelope Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Antelope Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Antelope Cemetery
  • Antelope Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Antelope Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Antelope Cemetery
  • Bakeoven Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bakeoven Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bakeoven Cemetery
  • Wilcox Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
  • Daugherty Family Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Criterion Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Criterion Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Criterion Cemetery
  • Tillotson Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Tillotson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Tillotson Cemetery
  • Clarno Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
  • Kent IOOF Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
  • Maupin Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
  • Buzan Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Woods Cemetery
    (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Woods Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Woods Cemetery
  • Continue List   (22 more) ...
    • Michigan Cemetery
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Hot Springs Cemetery
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hot Springs Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hot Springs Cemetery
    • Kelly Cemetery
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Kelly Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Kelly 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>

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

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

  • Antelope
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Bakeoven
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bakeoven have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bakeoven
    • Bakeoven is located in Wasco County
  • Kent
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
  • Rutledge
    (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rutledge have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rutledge
    • Rutledge is located in Sherman County
  • Grass Valley
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grass Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grass Valley
    • Grass Valley is located in Sherman County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 167 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Grass Valley <1>
  • Wapinitia
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wapinitia
    • Wapinitia is located in Wasco County
  • Fossil
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
  • Tygh Valley
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Mayville
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayville
    • Mayville is located in Gilliam County
  • Igo ‑ Historic
    (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Igo have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Igo
    • Igo is located in Gilliam County
  • Wamic
    (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wamic have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wamic
    • Wamic is located in Wasco County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wamic <1>

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

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

The official website for Wasco County: www.co.wasco.or.us/

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

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 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.
<3>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a '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- Shaniko) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Shaniko. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 45.0042, Longitude: -120.7532    
<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 Shaniko, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024