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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 Castle Rock (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 Castle Rock. 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.

Castle Rock is located in Cowlitz County.

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

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Cowlitz County: Columbia (OR), Clark, Lewis, Skamania & Wahkiakum.

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

  • Cowlitz County     (The home county of Castle Rock)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Castle Rock, with the one closest to Castle Rock listed first.
    • Ostrander
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ostrander
      • Ostrander is located in Cowlitz County
    • Longview Heights
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Longview Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longview Heights
      • Longview Heights is located in Cowlitz County
    • Silver Lake
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
    • Olequa
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Olequa have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olequa
      • Olequa is located in Cowlitz County
    • Coal Creek
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coal Creek
      • Coal Creek is located in Cowlitz County
    • Kelso
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kelso
      • Kelso is located in Cowlitz County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 12,438 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kelso <2>
    • West Longview
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Longview have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Longview
      • West Longview is located in Cowlitz County
    • Toutle
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Ryderwood
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ryderwood
      • Ryderwood is located in Cowlitz County
    • Longview
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Stella
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stella have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stella
      • Stella is located in Cowlitz County
    • Rose Valley
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rose Valley
      • Rose Valley is located in Cowlitz County
    • Carrolls
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
  • Clark County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Castle Rock, with the one closest to Castle Rock listed first.
    • Woodland
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • La Center
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
  • Lewis County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Castle Rock, with the one closest to Castle Rock listed first.
    • Vader
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • Toledo
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
    • Winlock
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Saint Urban
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Urban
      • Saint Urban is located in Lewis County
    • Ethel
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Napavine
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Onalaska
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Salkum
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Silver Creek
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Lacamas
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lacamas
      • Lacamas is located in Lewis County
    • Curtis
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Newaukum
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Newaukum have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newaukum
      • Newaukum is located in Lewis County
    • Adna
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
  • Wahkiakum County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Castle Rock, with the one closest to Castle Rock listed first.
    • East Cathlamet
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Cathlamet have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Cathlamet
      • East Cathlamet is located in Wahkiakum County
    • Cathlamet
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Skamokawa
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
  • Clatsop County (OR)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Castle Rock, with the one closest to Castle Rock listed first.
    • Westport
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Clifton
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clifton
      • Clifton is located in Clatsop County (OR)
    • Brownsmead
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownsmead
      • Brownsmead is located in Clatsop County (OR)
  • Columbia County (OR)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Castle Rock, with the one closest to Castle Rock listed first.
    • Rainier
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rainier have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rainier
      • Rainier is located in Columbia County (OR)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,021 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rainier <2>
    • Mayger
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayger
      • Mayger is located in Columbia County (OR)
    • Beaver Springs
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaver Springs
      • Beaver Springs is located in Columbia County (OR)
    • Prescott
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Prescott have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Prescott
      • Prescott is located in Columbia County (OR)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 63 people
    • Quincy
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quincy
      • Quincy is located in Columbia County (OR)
    • Goble
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goble
      • Goble is located in Columbia County (OR)
    • Reuben
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reuben
      • Reuben is located in Columbia County (OR)
    • Clatskanie
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southwest)
    • Deer Island
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Columbia City
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
    • Fishhawk ‑ Historic
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fishhawk have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fishhawk
      • Fishhawk is located in Columbia County (OR)
    • Pittsburg
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pittsburg
      • Pittsburg is located in Columbia County (OR)
    • Saint Helens
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint Helens have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Helens
      • Saint Helens is located in Columbia County (OR)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 14,071 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Saint Helens <2>

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Castle Rock ...

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 72 newspapers that have been published in the area around Castle Rock.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Castle Rock. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Castle Rock and those printed in the larger area surrounding Castle Rock.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 29 miles [46.7 km]<3> of Castle Rock.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we like to 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 Castle Rock:

Cemeteries Near Castle Rock ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Castle Rock.

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

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

  • IOOF Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the east)
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the IOOF Cemetery is located less than 2 miles<3> to the west of Castle Rock.
    • The IOOF Cemetery has also been known as:
    • IOOF Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the IOOF Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #76862 <4>
  • Whittle & Hubbard Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Whittle & Hubbard Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the west of Castle Rock.
    • The Whittle & Hubbard Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Hubbard Cemetery
    • Meadowview Cemetery
    • Whittle and Hubbard Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Whittle & Hubbard Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #77115 <4>
  • Jackson Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Jackson Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<5>
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Jackson Cemetery is located less than 2 miles<3> to the east of Castle Rock.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Jackson Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #76873 <4>
  • Smith - Tucker Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Smith - Tucker Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<5>
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Smith - Tucker Cemetery is located less than 2 miles<3> to the south of Pleasant Hill.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Smith - Tucker Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2350342 <4>
  • Rosin Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northeast)
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Rosin Cemetery is located 3 miles [4.8 km]<3> to the southwest of Castle Rock.
    • The Rosin Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Rosin Cemetery
    • Tower Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rosin Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #77025 <4>
  • Stockport Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Stockport Cemetery is located outside and to the south of Pleasant Hill.
    • The Stockport Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Pleasant Hill Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Stockport Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #545650 <4>
  • Green Hills Memorial Gardens
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
  • Silver Lake Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Catlin Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Cowlitz View Memorial Gardens
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Cowlitz View Memorial Gardens is a very large cemetery that is located in Kelso.
    • The Cowlitz View Memorial Gardens has also been known as:
    • IOOF Cemetery
    • IOOF Cemetery
    • Kelso IOOF Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cowlitz View Memorial Gardens
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #281134 <4>
  • Tower Twp. Cemetery
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Tower Twp. Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<5>
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Tower Twp. Cemetery is located 8 miles [12.9 km]<3> to the southwest of Castle Rock.
    • The Tower Twp. Cemetery has also been known as:
    • Tower Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Tower Twp. Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2277304 <4>
  • Longview Memorial Park
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Continue List   (58 more) ...
    • Mt. Solo Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Little Falls Cemetery
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Little Falls Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Little Falls Cemetery
    • Stella / Wiest Cemetery
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Stella / Wiest Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<5>
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the Stella / Wiest Cemetery is located less than 2 miles<3> to the west of Bunker Hill.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Stella / Wiest Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2235225 <4>

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 Castle Rock had a population of 681 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, Castle Rock had a population of 2,304 people.

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

  • Lexington
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lexington have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lexington
    • Lexington is located in Cowlitz County
  • Olequa
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Olequa have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olequa
    • Olequa is located in Cowlitz County
  • Silver Lake
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the east)
  • Kelso
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kelso
    • Kelso is located in Cowlitz County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 12,438 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kelso <2>
  • Sightly
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sightly have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sightly
    • Sightly is located in Cowlitz County
  • Toutle
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Stella
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stella have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stella
    • Stella is located in Cowlitz County
  • Toledo
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the north)
  • Mayger
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayger
    • Mayger is located in Columbia County (OR)
  • Rainier
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rainier have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rainier
    • Rainier is located in Columbia County (OR)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,021 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rainier <2>
  • Cowlitz
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cowlitz have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cowlitz
    • Cowlitz is located in Lewis County
  • Oak Point
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Oak Point have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oak Point
    • Oak Point is located in Cowlitz County
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Carrolls
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Winlock
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Wildwood
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wildwood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wildwood
      • Wildwood is located in Lewis County

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

The official website for Castle Rock: www.ci.castle-rock.wa.us/

The official website for Cowlitz County: www.co.cowlitz.wa.us/

The official website for State of Washington: https://access.wa.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 '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- Castle Rock) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Castle Rock. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 46.2748, Longitude: -122.9072    
<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 Castle Rock, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024