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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 Ola (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 Ola. 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 northeast 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 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.

Ola is located in Brule 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 Brule County: Aurora, Buffalo, Charles Mix, Gregory, Jerauld & Lyman.

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

  • Brule County     (The home county of Ola)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ola, with the one closest to Ola listed first.
    • Eagle
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eagle have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagle
      • Eagle is located in Brule County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 17 people
    • Bijou Hills
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bijou Hills. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bijou Hills
      • Bijou Hills is located in Brule County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Bijou Hills
      • From Ola to Bijou Hills
    • Pukwana
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pukwana have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pukwana
      • Pukwana is located in Brule County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 303 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pukwana <3>
    • Chamberlain
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chamberlain have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chamberlain
      • Chamberlain is located in Brule County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,348 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Chamberlain <3>
    • Kimball
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Lyonville
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lyonville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lyonville
      • Lyonville is located in Brule County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 49 people
  • Aurora County
    • White Lake
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for White Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Lake
      • White Lake is located in Aurora County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 365 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for White Lake <3>
  • Buffalo County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ola, with the one closest to Ola listed first.
    • Crow Creek
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Crow Creek. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crow Creek
      • Crow Creek is located in Buffalo County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Crow Creek
      • From Ola to Crow Creek
    • Shelby
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Shelby have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shelby
      • Shelby is located in Buffalo County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 96 people
  • Charles Mix County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ola, with the one closest to Ola listed first.
    • Platte Colony
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Platte Colony have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Platte Colony
      • Platte Colony is located in Charles Mix County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 51 people
    • Academy
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Platte
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
  • Douglas County
    • Joubert
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Gregory County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ola, with the one closest to Ola listed first.
    • Dixon
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dixon have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dixon
      • Dixon is located in Gregory County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 118 people
    • Gregory
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gregory have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gregory
      • Gregory is located in Gregory County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,250 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Gregory <3>
    • Burke
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Burke have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burke
      • Burke is located in Gregory County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 588 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Burke <3>
    • Dallas
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dallas have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dallas
      • Dallas is located in Gregory County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 126 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dallas <3>
  • Lyman County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Ola, with the one closest to Ola listed first.
    • Iona
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Oacoma
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oacoma have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oacoma
      • Oacoma is located in Lyman County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 478 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oacoma <3>
    • East Lyman
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Lyman have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Lyman
      • East Lyman is located in Lyman County
      • Estimated population in 2019: 145 people
    • Reliance
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Reliance have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reliance
      • Reliance is located in Lyman County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 210 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Reliance <3>
  • Tripp County
    • Hamill
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hamill have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hamill
      • Hamill is located in Tripp County
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 11 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hamill <3>

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

Cemeteries Near Ola ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Ola.

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

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

  • Swedish Lutheran Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Swedish Lutheran Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Swedish Lutheran Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • German Lutheran Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the German Lutheran Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the German Lutheran Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • St. Vencels Bohemian National Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the east)
  • Grandview Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Grandview Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Grandview Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Bijou Hills Union Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • National Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Lutheran Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lutheran Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lutheran Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Eagle Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Eagle Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Eagle Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • LaRoche Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the LaRoche Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the LaRoche Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Iona Cemetery
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Iona Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Iona Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Community Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
  • St. Anthony Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
  • Continue List   (38 more) ...
    • Norwegian Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Norwegian Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Norwegian Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Lake George Cemetery
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lake George Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lake George Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Riverview Cemetery
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Riverview Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Riverview Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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.<6>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Ola had a population of 24 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service. In 2014, Ola had a population of 108 people.

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

  • Bijou Hills
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Bijou Hills. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bijou Hills
    • Bijou Hills is located in Brule County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Bijou Hills
    • From Ola to Bijou Hills
  • Eagle
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eagle have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagle
    • Eagle is located in Brule County
    • Estimated population in 2014: 17 people
  • Pukwana
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pukwana have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pukwana
    • Pukwana is located in Brule County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 303 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pukwana <3>
  • Chamberlain
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chamberlain have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chamberlain
    • Chamberlain is located in Brule County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,348 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Chamberlain <3>
  • Kimball
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Oacoma
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oacoma have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oacoma
    • Oacoma is located in Lyman County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 478 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oacoma <3>
  • Lyonville
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lyonville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lyonville
    • Lyonville is located in Brule County
    • Estimated population in 2014: 49 people
  • Platte
    (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
  • Crow Creek
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Crow Creek. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Crow Creek
    • Crow Creek is located in Buffalo County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Crow Creek
    • From Ola to Crow Creek
  • White Lake
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for White Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for White Lake
    • White Lake is located in Aurora County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 365 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for White Lake <3>
  • Joubert
    (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)

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

Newspapers Published in Ola ...

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 51 newspapers that have been published in the area around Ola.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Ola, there are papers which were published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Ola.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we begin with 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 Ola:

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Ola. 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>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>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.
<3>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<4>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- Ola) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Ola. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 43.6005, Longitude: -99.2112       In this case, the coordinates for Ola have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<5>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.
<6>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 Ola, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025