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 West Portal (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 West Portal. 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.
Name Variations for West Portal ...
When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.
For example, a typical abbreviation for West Portal: W. Portal
You might be interested in other communities that are also named West Portal. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for West Portal.
If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.
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.
West Portal is located in Utah County.
To see how the shape of Utah's counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Utah County: Carbon, Duchesne, Juab, Salt Lake, Sanpete, Tooele & Wasatch.
Below are the counties that are near West Portal. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to West Portal:
- Utah County (The home county of West Portal)
- The following are listed by their distance from West Portal, with the one closest to West Portal listed first.
- Mill Fork ‑ Historic
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Mill Fork is located in Utah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mill Fork
- Tucker ‑ Historic
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Tucker is located in Utah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tucker
- Former name for Tucker:
- Clear Creek
- Thistle ‑ Historic
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Thistle is located in Utah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thistle
- Mapleton
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
- Covered Bridge Canyon
(18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
- Ironton ‑ Historic
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Ironton is located in Utah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ironton
- Springville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Vivian Park
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
- Vivian Park is located in Utah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vivian Park
- Spanish Fork
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Spanish Fork is located in Utah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spanish Fork
- Population from the 2020 Census: 41,268 people
- Spanish Fork has also been known as:
- Spanish Fork City
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Spanish Fork <1>
- Birdseye
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
- Birdseye is located in Utah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Birdseye
- Former names for Birdseye:
- Clinton
- Summit Basin
- Provo
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Provo is located in Utah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Provo
- Population from the 2020 Census: 116,295 people
- Former names for Provo:
- Fort Provo
- Fort Utah
- Provo has also been known as:
- Provo City
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Provo <1>
- Christmas City
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Christmas City is located in Utah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Christmas City
- Olmstead
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Olmstead is located in Utah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olmstead
- Carbon County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Portal, with the one closest to West Portal listed first.
- Scofield
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Scofield is located in Carbon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Scofield
- Population from the 2020 Census: 23 people
- Winter Quarters ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
- Winter Quarters is located in Carbon County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Winter Quarters
- Duchesne County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Portal, with the one closest to West Portal listed first.
- Fruitland
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Hanna
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Stockmore ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
- Stockmore is located in Duchesne County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stockmore
- Emery County
- Hale ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
- Hale is located in Emery County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hale
- Summit County
- Woodland
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
- Wasatch County
- The following are listed by their distance from West Portal, with the one closest to West Portal listed first.
- Wallsburg
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Wallsburg is located in Wasatch County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wallsburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 397 people
- Former names for Wallsburg:
- Little Warm Valley
- Round Valley
- Wallsburg Fort
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wallsburg <1>
- Soldier Summit ‑ Historic
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Soldier Summit is located in Wasatch County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Soldier Summit
- Independence
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Independence is located in Wasatch County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Independence
- Population from the 2020 Census: 195 people
- Timber Lakes
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
- Daniel
(23 miles [37 km] to the north)
- Daniel is located in Wasatch County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Daniel
- Estimated population in 2015: 1,058 people
- Charleston
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Charleston is located in Wasatch County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charleston
- Population from the 2020 Census: 496 people
- Heber City
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Heber City is located in Wasatch County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heber City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 17,574 people
- Heber City has also been known as:
- Heber
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Heber City <1>
- Midway
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northwest)
- Interlaken
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Interlaken is located in Wasatch County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Interlaken
- Mound City
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
- Mound City is located in Wasatch County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mound City
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to West Portal, see our County-by-County Page for West Portal.
Cemeteries Near West Portal ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of West Portal.
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.
Although we don't have the information ourselves, if you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our list of websites on our Genealogy Helper Page for West Portal - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for West Portal covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from West Portal, with the one closest to West Portal listed first.
- Mill Fork Cemetery
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
- Tucker Family Cemetery
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Wallsburg Cemetery
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wallsburg Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Wallsburg Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the northeast of Wallsburg.
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #77491 <2>
- Evergreen Cemetery
(18 miles [29 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Evergreen Cemetery
- The Evergreen Cemetery has also been known as:
- Springville Evergreen Cemetery
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #77221 <2>
- Springville City Cemetery
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Pioneer Heritage Cemetery
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
- Spanish Fork City Cemetery
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Fruitland Cemetery
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the east)
- Provo City Cemetery
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Provo City Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Provo City Cemetery is a very large cemetery that is located in Provo.
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #77401 <2>
- Center Creek Cemetery
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Pioneer Cemetery
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- East Lawn Memorial Hills Cemetery
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)
- Continue List (21 more) ...
- Salem City Cemetery
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Colton Cemetery
(23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)
- Charleston Cemetery
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
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.<4>
While we didn't find West Portal in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of West Portal.
These communities are listed based on their distance from West Portal, with the one closest to West Portal listed first.
- Mill Fork ‑ Historic
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Mill Fork is located in Utah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mill Fork
- Tucker ‑ Historic
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Tucker is located in Utah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tucker
- Former name for Tucker:
- Clear Creek
- Tucker ‑ Historic
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Tucker is located in Utah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tucker
- Former name for Tucker:
- Clear Creek
- Thistle ‑ Historic
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southwest)
- Thistle is located in Utah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Thistle
- Soldier Summit ‑ Historic
(18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
- Soldier Summit is located in Wasatch County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Soldier Summit
- Wallsburg
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Wallsburg is located in Wasatch County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wallsburg
- Population from the 2020 Census: 397 people
- Former names for Wallsburg:
- Little Warm Valley
- Round Valley
- Wallsburg Fort
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wallsburg <1>
- Springville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
- Spanish Fork
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
- Spanish Fork is located in Utah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spanish Fork
- Population from the 2020 Census: 41,268 people
- Spanish Fork has also been known as:
- Spanish Fork City
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Spanish Fork <1>
- Provo
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Provo is located in Utah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Provo
- Population from the 2020 Census: 116,295 people
- Former names for Provo:
- Fort Provo
- Fort Utah
- Provo has also been known as:
- Provo City
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Provo <1>
- Salem
(23 miles [37 km] to the west)
- Charleston
(23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
- Charleston is located in Wasatch County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charleston
- Population from the 2020 Census: 496 people
- Colton ‑ Historic
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Colton is located in Utah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colton
- Continue List (10 more) ...
- Lakeview
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)
- Lakeview is located in Utah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lakeview
- Heber City
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
- Heber City is located in Wasatch County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Heber City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 17,574 people
- Heber City has also been known as:
- Heber
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Heber City <1>
- Lake Shore
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
- Lake Shore is located in Utah County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Shore
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around West Portal. See our List of 1890's Communities around West Portal.
Newspapers Published in West Portal ...
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 West Portal.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of West Portal, there are papers which were published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for West Portal.
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 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 West Portal:
- Websites specific to Utah
- Pages specific to Utah County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Carbon County
- Duchesne County
- Emery County
- Summit County
- Wasatch County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Utah
Footnotes ...
| <1> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <2> | 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. |
| <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 drawn from Point A (ie- West Portal) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |
| <4> | 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 West Portal, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |