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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 Provo (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 Provo. 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 northwest 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 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 west 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.

Provo is located in Fall River 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 Fall River County: Dawes (NE), Sioux (NE), Custer, Oglala Lakota & Niobrara (WY).

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

  • Fall River County     (The home county of Provo)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Provo, with the one closest to Provo listed first.
    • Edgemont
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Edgemont have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgemont
      • Edgemont is located in Fall River County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 718 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Edgemont <2>
    • Rocky Ford
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rocky Ford have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rocky Ford
      • Rocky Ford is located in Fall River County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 6 people
    • Heppner
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Heppner have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heppner
      • Heppner is located in Fall River County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 267 people
    • Ardmore ‑ Historic
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ardmore
      • Ardmore is located in Fall River County
    • Cascade Springs
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cascade Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cascade Springs
      • Cascade Springs is located in Fall River County
    • Hot Springs
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Oelrichs
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oelrichs have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oelrichs
      • Oelrichs is located in Fall River County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 124 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Oelrichs <2>
  • Custer County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Provo, with the one closest to Provo listed first.
    • Ivanhoe ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ivanhoe have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ivanhoe
      • Ivanhoe is located in Custer County
      • Estimated population in 2014: 144 people
    • Dewey
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dewey
      • Dewey is located in Custer County
  • Sioux County (NE)
    • Montrose ‑ Historic
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Montrose have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montrose
      • Montrose is located in Sioux County (NE)
  • Niobrara County (WY)
    • Kirtley
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kirtley
      • Kirtley is located in Niobrara County (WY)

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

Newspapers Published in Provo ...

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 23 newspapers that have been published in the area around Provo.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Provo, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Provo.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we start 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 Provo:

Cemeteries Near Provo ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Provo.

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

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

  • Edgemont Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
  • Duck Creek Cemetery
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Duck Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Duck Creek Cemetery
  • Highland Cemetery
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Highland Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Highland Cemetery
  • Pioneer Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Pioneer Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<5>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pioneer Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #101131 <4>
  • Montrose Cemetery
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
  • Hot Springs National Cemetery
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hot Springs National Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hot Springs National Cemetery
  • Evergreen Cemetery
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Evergreen Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Evergreen Cemetery
  • Horsehead Cemetery
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Horsehead Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Horsehead Cemetery
  • Bodarc Cemetery
    (27 miles [43.5 km] to the south)
  • Pleasant Ridge Pioneer Cemetery
    (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
  • Smithwick Cemetery
    (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Smithwick Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Smithwick Cemetery
  • Fairview Cemetery
    (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fairview Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fairview Cemetery
  • Hillside Cemetery
    (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hillside Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hillside 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.<6>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that in 1895, Provo had railroad service and no post office. In 2014, Provo had a population of 32 people.

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

  • Edgemont
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Edgemont have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Edgemont
    • Edgemont is located in Fall River County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 718 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Edgemont <2>
  • Rumford
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rumford have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rumford
    • Rumford is located in Fall River County
  • Marietta
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Marietta have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marietta
    • Marietta is located in Fall River County
  • Minnekahta
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Minnekahta have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Minnekahta
    • Minnekahta is located in Fall River County
  • Story
    (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Story have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Story
    • Story is located in Sioux County (NE)
  • Montrose ‑ Historic
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Montrose have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montrose
    • Montrose is located in Sioux County (NE)
  • Ivanhoe ‑ Historic
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ivanhoe have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ivanhoe
    • Ivanhoe is located in Custer County
    • Estimated population in 2014: 144 people
  • Erskine
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Erskine have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Erskine
    • Erskine is located in Fall River County
  • Hot Springs
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
  • Argyle
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Argyle have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Argyle
    • Argyle is located in Custer County

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

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

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 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Provo) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Provo. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 43.1933, Longitude: -103.8339    
<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>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.
<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 Provo, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024