RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of South Dakota >> Oglala Lakota County >> Porcupine >> Genealogy HelperIndex










Learn About
The Commemorative
Quarter for
South Dakota

The Commemorative Quarter for South Dakota





Our Genealogy Helper for Porcupine ...

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 Porcupine (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 Porcupine. 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.

Porcupine is located in Oglala Lakota 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 Oglala Lakota County: Dawes (NE), Sheridan (NE), Bennett, Custer, Fall River, Jackson & Pennington.

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

  • Oglala Lakota County     (The home county of Porcupine)
    • Manderson - White Horse Creek
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Manderson - White Horse Creek
      • Manderson - White Horse Creek lies 6 miles [9.7 km]<1> to the west of Porcupine.
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Manderson - White Horse Creek. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to Google Maps centered on Manderson - White Horse Creek
    • Manderson
    • Wounded Knee
    • Sharps Corner
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sharps Corner
      • Sharps Corner lies 10 miles [16.1 km]<1> to the north of Porcupine.
      • Estimated population in 2014: 77 people
      • Jump to Google Maps centered on Sharps Corner
    • Denby
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Denby
      • Denby lies 12 miles [19.3 km]<1> to the south of Porcupine.
      • Jump to Google Maps centered on Denby
    • Kyle
    • Batesland
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Batesland
      • Batesland lies 14 miles [22.5 km]<1> to the southeast of Porcupine.
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 113 people
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Batesland have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to Google Maps centered on Batesland
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Batesland<3>
    • Rockyford
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockyford
      • Rockyford lies 18 miles [29 km]<1> to the northwest of Porcupine.
      • Jump to Google Maps centered on Rockyford
    • Pine Ridge
    • Oglala
  • Bennett County
    • Swett ‑ Historic
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Swett
      • Swett was located 20 miles [32.2 km]<1> to the east of Porcupine.
      • Estimated population in 2014: 283 people
    • Allen
    • Plenty Bears
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plenty Bears
      • Plenty Bears lies 24 miles [38.6 km]<1> to the east of Porcupine.
      • Estimated population in 2014: 109 people
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Plenty Bears have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to Google Maps centered on Plenty Bears
    • Martin
  • Jackson County
    • Potato Creek
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Potato Creek
      • Potato Creek lies 26 miles [41.8 km]<1> to the northeast of Porcupine.
      • Jump to Google Maps centered on Potato Creek
    • Interior
    • Wanblee
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wanblee
      • Wanblee lies 40 miles [64.4 km]<1> to the northeast of Porcupine.
      • Population from the 2010 Census: 725 people
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wanblee have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to Google Maps centered on Wanblee
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wanblee<3>
  • Pennington County
    • Imlay
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Imlay
      • Imlay lies 32 miles [51.5 km]<1> to the north of Porcupine.
      • Estimated population in 2014: 7 people
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Imlay have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to Google Maps centered on Imlay
    • Scenic
  • Cherry County (NE)
    • Merriman
  • Sheridan County (NE)
    • Whiteclay
    • Gordon
    • Clinton
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clinton
      • Clinton lies 33 miles [53.1 km]<1> to the south of Porcupine.
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 39 people
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clinton have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to Google Maps centered on Clinton
    • Rushville
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rushville
      • Rushville lies 37 miles [59.5 km]<1> to the south of Porcupine.
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 871 people
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rushville have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to Google Maps centered on Rushville
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rushville<3>

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

Newspapers Published in Porcupine ...

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 25 newspapers that have been published in the area around Porcupine.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Porcupine, there are papers which were published within 39 miles [62.8 km]. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Porcupine.

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 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 Porcupine:

  • Of Special Interest ...
    • The GenDisasters website specializes in newspaper articles about tragedies and disasters. While it makes interesting reading all by itself, it should be of special interest to genealogists and family historians looking for people who were either affected by or directly involved in such tragedies.
    • At this time (Dec 2022), GenDisasters website is currently offline due to a hacker attack. Hopefully they will be back soon.
    • Stories from Nebraska
    • Stories from South Dakota

Cemeteries Near Porcupine ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Porcupine.

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

  • St. Julia Cemetery
  • Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Cemetery
  • Holy Jumping Eagle Cemetery
  • St. Paul Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Paul Cemetery
    • St. Paul Cemetery lies 6 miles [9.7 km]<1> to the southwest of Porcupine.
    • Jump to Google Maps centered on St. Paul Cemetery
  • St. Luke Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Luke Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Luke Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • St. Luke Cemetery lies 9 miles [14.5 km]<1> to the north of Porcupine.
    • Jump to Google Maps centered on St. Luke Cemetery
  • Lamont Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lamont Cemetery
    • Lamont Cemetery lies 10 miles [16.1 km]<1> to the south of Porcupine.
    • Jump to Google Maps centered on Lamont Cemetery
  • Native American Cemetery
  • Native American Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Native American Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Native American Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Native American Cemetery lies 10 miles [16.1 km]<1> to the south of Porcupine.
    • Jump to Google Maps centered on Native American Cemetery
  • Mediator Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mediator Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mediator Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Mediator Cemetery lies 10 miles [16.1 km]<1> to the northeast of Porcupine.
    • Jump to Google Maps centered on Mediator Cemetery
  • St. Anns Cemetery
  • St. Anns Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Anns Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Anns Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • St. Anns Cemetery lies 14 miles [22.5 km]<1> to the south of Porcupine.
    • Jump to Google Maps centered on St. Anns Cemetery
  • Knight Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Knight Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Knight Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Knight Cemetery lies 14 miles [22.5 km]<1> to the southeast of Porcupine.
    • Jump to Google Maps centered on Knight Cemetery
  • Continue List   (33 more) ...
    • Body of Christ Cemetery
    • St. James Cemetery
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. James Cemetery
      • St. James Cemetery lies 17 miles [27.4 km]<1> to the southwest of Porcupine.
      • Jump to Google Maps centered on St. James Cemetery
    • Red Cloud Cemetery
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Red Cloud Cemetery
      • The Red Cloud Cemetery is located 3 miles [4.8 km]<1> to the southeast of Pine Ridge.More precisely, Red Cloud Cemetery lies 17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest of Porcupine.
      • Red Cloud Cemetery has also been known as:
      • Holy Rosary Cemetery
      • Jump to Google Maps centered on Red Cloud Cemetery
      • Find-A-Grave: FAG ID #1970722<5>

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>

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

  • Albany ‑ Historic
    • While Albany was mentioned in the 1895 Rand McNally Atlas, it no longer exists
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Albany
    • Albany was located 19 miles [30.6 km]<1> to the south of Porcupine.
    • According to the 1895 Atlas, the estimated population in 1895: 42 people
    • From the 1895 Atlas, Albany had a post office and no railroad service
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Albany have been provided by the GNIS.<4> The coordinates still need to be verified.

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

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

The official website for Oglala Lakota County: oglalalakota.sdcounties.org/

The official website for State of South Dakota: sd.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>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- Porcupine) to Point B.If you need the driving distance (or directions), we recommend that you use one of the Mapping Services listed on our Map Page for Porcupine. Since we usually use Google Maps, we've provided the following link: Google Map and Driving Directions starting from PorcupineOur distance measurements begin at a specific point in Porcupine. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 43.2452, Longitude: -102.3359    
<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>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.
<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 Porcupine, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

 

 

Copyright 2023
All Rights Reserved

Thank you for visiting our website.

In closing, please keep in mind that we can not guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of the information on this website, so use with care. We encourage you to double-check the information that is critical to you.

If you've found an error or have additional information that you would like to share, please don't hesitate to write: Click here to contact us.

This page was last modified/updated: 27 Mar 2023