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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 Box Elder (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 Box Elder. 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 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.

Box Elder is primarily located in Pennington County. A portion of Box Elder extends into Meade 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 Pennington County: Custer, Haakon, Jackson, Lawrence, Meade, Oglala Lakota & Weston (WY).

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

  • Pennington County     (The home county of Box Elder)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Box Elder, with the one closest to Box Elder listed first.
    • Ashland Heights
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ashland Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ashland Heights
      • Ashland Heights is located in Pennington County
    • Murphy
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Murphy have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Murphy
      • Murphy is located in Pennington County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 482 people
    • Rapid Valley
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rapid Valley
      • Rapid Valley is located in Pennington County
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 8,260 people
    • Green Valley
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Green Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Green Valley
      • Green Valley is located in Pennington County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 51 people
    • Rapid City
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
    • Sioux Village
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sioux Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sioux Village
      • Sioux Village is located in Pennington County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 262 people
    • Caputa
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • New Underwood
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New Underwood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Underwood
      • New Underwood is located in Pennington County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 679 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for New Underwood <2>
    • Wildwood Addition
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wildwood Addition have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wildwood Addition
      • Wildwood Addition is located in Pennington County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 55 people
    • Farmingdale
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Farmingdale have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farmingdale
      • Farmingdale is located in Pennington County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 10 people
    • Colonial Pine Hills
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Colonial Pine Hills have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colonial Pine Hills
      • Colonial Pine Hills is located in Pennington County
    • Ridgeland Heights
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ridgeland Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ridgeland Heights
      • Ridgeland Heights is located in Pennington County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 11 people
  • Custer County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Box Elder, with the one closest to Box Elder listed first.
    • Hermosa
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hermosa have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hermosa
      • Hermosa is located in Custer County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 409 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hermosa <2>
    • Spokane ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Spokane have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spokane
      • Spokane is located in Custer County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 3,237 people
    • State Game Lodge
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for State Game Lodge have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for State Game Lodge
      • State Game Lodge is located in Custer County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 29 people
    • Fairburn
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fairburn have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairburn
      • Fairburn is located in Custer County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 99 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fairburn <2>
  • Lawrence County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Box Elder, with the one closest to Box Elder listed first.
    • Nemo
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Tomahawk
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tomahawk have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tomahawk
      • Tomahawk is located in Lawrence County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 36 people
    • Merritt
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Merritt have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Merritt
      • Merritt is located in Lawrence County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 175 people
    • Greenwood
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Greenwood
      • Greenwood is located in Lawrence County
      • Greenwood has also been known as:
      • Laflin
  • Meade County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Box Elder, with the one closest to Box Elder listed first.
    • Blackhawk
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Viewfield
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Viewfield have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Viewfield
      • Viewfield is located in Meade County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 44 people
    • Summerset
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)
    • Piedmont
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Tilford
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tilford have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tilford
      • Tilford is located in Meade County
    • Sturgis
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Elm Springs
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Box Elder ...

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 63 newspapers that have been published in the area around Box Elder.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

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

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 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 Box Elder:

Cemeteries Near Box Elder ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Box Elder.

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

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

  • Elk Vale Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Elk Vale Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Elk Vale Cemetery
  • Mountain View Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)
  • Mt. Calvary Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Calvary Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Calvary Cemetery
  • Pine Lawn Memorial Park
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pine Lawn Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pine Lawn Memorial Park
  • Blackhawk Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Blackhawk Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Blackhawk Cemetery
  • Viewfield Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Viewfield Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Viewfield Cemetery
  • Larsen Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Larsen Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Larsen Cemetery
  • Rockerville Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Piedmont Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Mountain View Cemetery
    (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Mountain View Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the south of Keystone.
    • The Mountain View Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Keystone Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mountain View Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #97167 <4>
  • Owanka Cemetery
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Owanka Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Owanka Cemetery
  • Black Hills National Cemetery
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (5 more) ...
    • Ft. Meade National Cemetery
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Ft. Meade National Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Ft. Meade National Cemetery
    • Bear Butte Cemetery
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Mountain Meadow Cemetery
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mountain Meadow Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mountain Meadow 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 Box Elder in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Box Elder.

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

  • Rapid City
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the west)
  • Bend
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bend have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bend
    • Bend is located in Meade County
  • Blackhawk
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
  • Viewfield
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Viewfield have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Viewfield
    • Viewfield is located in Meade County
    • Estimated population in 2014: 44 people
  • Farmingdale
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Farmingdale have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Farmingdale
    • Farmingdale is located in Pennington County
    • Estimated population in 2014: 10 people
  • Piedmont
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Rockerville
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
  • Hermosa
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hermosa have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hermosa
    • Hermosa is located in Custer County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 409 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hermosa <2>
  • Pactola ‑ Historic
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pactola have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pactola
    • Pactola is located in Pennington County
  • Hayward ‑ Historic
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hayward have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hayward
    • Hayward is located in Pennington County
  • Tilford
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tilford have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tilford
    • Tilford is located in Meade County
  • Sheridan ‑ Historic
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sheridan have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sheridan
    • Sheridan is located in Pennington County
    • Estimated population in 2014: 447 people
  • Continue List   (10 more) ...
    • Folsom
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Folsom have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Folsom
      • Folsom is located in Custer County
    • Nemo
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
    • Creston ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Creston
      • Creston is located in Pennington County

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

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

The official website for Pennington County: www.co.pennington.sd.us/

The official website for State of South Dakota: sd.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 'point-to-point' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Box Elder) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Box Elder. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 44.1194, Longitude: -103.0724       In this case, the coordinates for Box Elder have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<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 Box Elder, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024