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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 Badger (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 Badger. 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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.

Badger is located in Kingsbury County.

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

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Kingsbury County: Beadle, Brookings, Clark, Hamlin, Lake, Miner & Sanborn.

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

  • Kingsbury County     (The home county of Badger)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Badger, with the one closest to Badger listed first.
    • Hetland
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Arlington
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Arlington have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arlington
      • Arlington is located in Kingsbury County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 872 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Arlington <1>
    • Lake Preston
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Erwin
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Erwin have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erwin
      • Erwin is located in Kingsbury County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 45 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Erwin <1>
    • Oldham
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oldham have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oldham
      • Oldham is located in Kingsbury County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 120 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oldham <1>
    • De Smet
      (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
    • Bancroft
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bancroft. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bancroft
      • Bancroft is located in Kingsbury County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 19 people
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Bancroft
      • From Badger to Bancroft
    • Manchester
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Manchester have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manchester
      • Manchester is located in Kingsbury County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 65 people
  • Brookings County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Badger, with the one closest to Badger listed first.
    • Bruce
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Volga
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Sinai
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sinai have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sinai
      • Sinai is located in Brookings County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 125 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sinai <1>
    • North Grove Addition
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Grove Addition have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Grove Addition
      • North Grove Addition is located in Brookings County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 471 people
    • Sunnyview
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Brookings
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • White
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for White have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White
      • White is located in Brookings County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 487 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for White <1>
    • Medary
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Medary have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Medary
      • Medary is located in Brookings County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 1,442 people
    • Bushnell
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Aurora
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Aurora have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Aurora
      • Aurora is located in Brookings County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 866 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Aurora <1>
  • Clark County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Badger, with the one closest to Badger listed first.
    • Success ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Success have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Success
      • Success is located in Clark County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 6,741 people
    • Vienna
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Vienna. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vienna
      • Vienna is located in Clark County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 46 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Vienna <1>
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Vienna
      • From Badger to Vienna
    • Willow Lake
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Willow Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Willow Lake
      • Willow Lake is located in Clark County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 244 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Willow Lake <1>
    • Naples
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
  • Codington County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Badger, with the one closest to Badger listed first.
    • Grover
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grover have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grover
      • Grover is located in Codington County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 171 people
    • Appleby
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Kampeska
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Watertown
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Henry
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Deuel County
  • Hamlin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Badger, with the one closest to Badger listed first.
    • Lake Norden
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Alsville
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Stone Bridge
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stone Bridge have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stone Bridge
      • Stone Bridge is located in Hamlin County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 105 people
    • Hayti
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hayti have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hayti
      • Hayti is located in Hamlin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 381 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hayti <1>
    • Bryant
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Dempster
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Estelline
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Estelline have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Estelline
      • Estelline is located in Hamlin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 744 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Estelline <1>
    • Kones Corner
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Castlewood
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Thomas
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
    • Hazel
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hazel have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hazel
      • Hazel is located in Hamlin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 86 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hazel <1>
  • Lake County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Badger, with the one closest to Badger listed first.
    • Nunda
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nunda have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nunda
      • Nunda is located in Lake County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 50 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Nunda <1>
    • Ramona
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ramona have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ramona
      • Ramona is located in Lake County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 202 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ramona <1>
    • Rutland
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)

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

Cemeteries Near Badger ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Badger.

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Badger, with the one closest to Badger 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.<7>

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

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

  • Hetland
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Arlington
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Arlington have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arlington
    • Arlington is located in Kingsbury County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 872 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Arlington <1>
  • Lake Preston
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Hayti
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hayti have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hayti
    • Hayti is located in Hamlin County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 381 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hayti <1>
  • Erwin
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Erwin have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erwin
    • Erwin is located in Kingsbury County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 45 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Erwin <1>
  • Bryant
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
  • Bruce
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
  • Estelline
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Estelline have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Estelline
    • Estelline is located in Hamlin County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 744 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Estelline <1>
  • Dempster
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Volga
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
  • Success ‑ Historic
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Success have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Success
    • Success is located in Clark County
    • Estimated population in 2014: 6,741 people
  • De Smet
    (18 miles [29 km] to the west)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Oldham
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oldham have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oldham
      • Oldham is located in Kingsbury County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 120 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oldham <1>
    • Sinai
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sinai have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sinai
      • Sinai is located in Brookings County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 125 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sinai <1>
    • Castlewood
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)

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

Newspapers Published in Badger ...

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 66 newspapers that have been published in the area around Badger.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Badger, there are papers which were published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<6>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Badger.

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 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 Badger:

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

The official website for State of South Dakota: https://www.sd.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>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.
<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>To help visualize the location of the cemetery, we've drawn a straight line between the communities of Lake Norden and Badger. The cemetery can be found near that line and roughly halfway between the two communities. Remember that this is just an approximate location.
<6>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Badger) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Badger. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 44.4851, Longitude: -97.2088    
<7>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 Badger, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025