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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 Portage (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 Portage. 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 and hospitals 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.

Portage is located in Box Elder County.

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

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Box Elder County: Cassia (ID), Oneida (ID), Elko (NV), Cache, Tooele & Weber.

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

  • Box Elder County     (The home county of Portage)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Portage, with the one closest to Portage listed first.
    • Washakie
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Washakie
      • Washakie is located in Box Elder County
    • Fort Malad ‑ Historic
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Fort Malad. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fort Malad
      • Fort Malad is located in Box Elder County
    • Portage Old Fort ‑ Historic
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Portage Old Fort. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<1>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Portage Old Fort
      • Portage Old Fort is located in Box Elder County
    • Plymouth
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Fielding
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fielding have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fielding
      • Fielding is located in Box Elder County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 482 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Fielding <2>
    • Riverside
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Wheelon
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wheelon have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheelon
      • Wheelon is located in Box Elder County
    • Blue Creek ‑ Historic
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blue Creek
      • Blue Creek is located in Box Elder County
    • Beaverdam
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaverdam
      • Beaverdam is located in Box Elder County
    • Collinston
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Collinston
      • Collinston is located in Box Elder County
    • Garland
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
    • Howell
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Bothwell
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bothwell
      • Bothwell is located in Box Elder County
  • Cache County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Portage, with the one closest to Portage listed first.
    • Clarkston
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clarkston have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarkston
      • Clarkston is located in Cache County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 746 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clarkston <2>
    • Utida
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Utida have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Utida
      • Utida is located in Cache County
    • Cornish
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Morton
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Morton
      • Morton is located in Cache County
    • Trenton
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Cache Junction ‑ Historic
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cache Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cache Junction
      • Cache Junction is located in Cache County
    • Cache
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cache
      • Cache is located in Cache County
    • Newton
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Newton have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newton
      • Newton is located in Cache County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 810 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Newton <2>
    • Ballard Junction
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ballard Junction
      • Ballard Junction is located in Cache County
    • Lewiston
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lewiston
      • Lewiston is located in Cache County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,780 people
      • Former names for Lewiston:
      • Cub Hill
      • Poverty Flat
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lewiston <2>
    • Amalga
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Amalga
      • Amalga is located in Cache County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 577 people
    • Benson
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Benson
      • Benson is located in Cache County
    • Cove
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cove have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cove
      • Cove is located in Cache County
  • Bannock County (ID)
    • Swanlake
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
  • Franklin County (ID)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Portage, with the one closest to Portage listed first.
    • Utida
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Utida have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Utida
      • Utida is located in Franklin County (ID)
    • Weston
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Weston have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weston
      • Weston is located in Franklin County (ID)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 482 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Weston <2>
    • Dayton
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dayton have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dayton
      • Dayton is located in Franklin County (ID)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 504 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dayton <2>
    • Clifton
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clifton
      • Clifton is located in Franklin County (ID)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 312 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clifton <2>
    • Preston
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Preston have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Preston
      • Preston is located in Franklin County (ID)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,678 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Preston <2>
    • Whitney
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitney
      • Whitney is located in Franklin County (ID)
    • Franklin
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Franklin have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Franklin
      • Franklin is located in Franklin County (ID)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 857 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Franklin <2>
    • Oxford
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oxford
      • Oxford is located in Franklin County (ID)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 52 people
    • Cherryville
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherryville
      • Cherryville is located in Franklin County (ID)
  • Oneida County (ID)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Portage, with the one closest to Portage listed first.
    • Woodruff
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodruff
      • Woodruff is located in Oneida County (ID)
    • Cherry Creek
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherry Creek
      • Cherry Creek is located in Oneida County (ID)
    • Gwenford
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gwenford
      • Gwenford is located in Oneida County (ID)
    • Pleasantview
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleasantview
      • Pleasantview is located in Oneida County (ID)
    • Malad City
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Malad City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Malad City
      • Malad City is located in Oneida County (ID)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,117 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Malad City <2>
    • Saint Johns
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Johns
      • Saint Johns is located in Oneida County (ID)
    • Stone
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Holbrook
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Holbrook have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Holbrook
      • Holbrook is located in Oneida County (ID)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Holbrook <2>

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

Newspapers Published in Portage ...

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 42 newspapers that have been published in the area around Portage.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Portage, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Portage.

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 helpful 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 Portage:

Cemeteries Near Portage ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Portage.

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

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Portage, with the one closest to Portage 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.<6>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Portage had a population of 44 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, Portage had a population of 274 people.

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

  • Washakie
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Washakie
    • Washakie is located in Box Elder County
  • Plymouth
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Cherry Creek
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherry Creek
    • Cherry Creek is located in Oneida County (ID)
  • Clarkston
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Clarkston have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clarkston
    • Clarkston is located in Cache County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 746 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Clarkston <2>
  • Samaria
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Samaria have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Samaria
    • Samaria is located in Oneida County (ID)
  • Blue Creek ‑ Historic
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blue Creek
    • Blue Creek is located in Box Elder County
  • Anderson
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Anderson have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Anderson
    • Anderson is located in Franklin County (ID)
  • Malad City
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Malad City have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Malad City
    • Malad City is located in Oneida County (ID)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,117 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Malad City <2>
  • Collinston
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Collinston
    • Collinston is located in Box Elder County
  • Cache Junction ‑ Historic
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cache Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cache Junction
    • Cache Junction is located in Cache County
  • Newton
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Newton have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newton
    • Newton is located in Cache County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 810 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Newton <2>
  • Trenton
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Saint Johns
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Johns
      • Saint Johns is located in Oneida County (ID)
    • Deweyville
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deweyville
      • Deweyville is located in Box Elder County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 383 people
      • Former names for Deweyville:
      • Dewey Spring
      • Dewey
      • Empey's Spring
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Deweyville <2>
    • Lewiston
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lewiston
      • Lewiston is located in Cache County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,780 people
      • Former names for Lewiston:
      • Cub Hill
      • Poverty Flat
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lewiston <2>

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

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

The official website for Box Elder County: www.boxeldercounty.org/

The official website for State of Utah: https://www.utah.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>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.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>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.
<4>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- Portage) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Portage. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 41.9759, Longitude: -112.2396    
<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 Portage, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024