RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
Home >> State of Washington >> Cowlitz County >> Coal Creek >> Genealogy HelperIndex...










Learn About
The Commemorative
Quarter for
Washington

The Commemorative Quarter for Washington





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 Coal Creek (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 Coal Creek. 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 Coal Creek ...

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.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might have occurred.

For example, a typical abbreviation for Coal Creek: Coal Crk. (or less commonly used: Coal Ck. or Coal Cr.)

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 southeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the east. 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 east 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.

Coal Creek 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 Coal Creek. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Coal Creek:

  • Cowlitz County     (The home county of Coal Creek)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Coal Creek, with the one closest to Coal Creek listed first.
    • West Longview
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
      • 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
    • Longview Heights
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
      • 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
    • Longview
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
    • Stella
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • 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
    • Ostrander
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ostrander
      • Ostrander is located in Cowlitz County
    • Kelso
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
      • 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>
    • Castle Rock
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Carrolls
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Rose Valley
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rose Valley
      • Rose Valley is located in Cowlitz County
    • Olequa
      (12 miles [19.3 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
    • Ryderwood
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ryderwood
      • Ryderwood is located in Cowlitz County
    • Silver Lake
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Clark County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Coal Creek, with the one closest to Coal Creek listed first.
    • Woodland
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
    • La Center
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
    • Ridgefield
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Lewis County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Coal Creek, with the one closest to Coal Creek listed first.
    • Vader
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
    • Toledo
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Winlock
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
    • Saint Urban
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Urban
      • Saint Urban is located in Lewis County
    • Napavine
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
    • Ethel
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Curtis
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Pe Ell
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Adna
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
    • Newaukum
      (29 miles [46.7 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
    • Onalaska
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Salkum
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Wahkiakum County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Coal Creek, with the one closest to Coal Creek listed first.
    • East Cathlamet
      (16 miles [25.7 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
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Skamokawa
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Brookfield
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brookfield have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookfield
      • Brookfield is located in Wahkiakum County
    • Dahlia
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dahlia
      • Dahlia is located in Wahkiakum County
    • Grays River
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
  • Clatsop County (OR)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Coal Creek, with the one closest to Coal Creek listed first.
    • Westport
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)
    • Clifton
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clifton
      • Clifton is located in Clatsop County (OR)
    • Brownsmead
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownsmead
      • Brownsmead is located in Clatsop County (OR)
    • Jewell
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Jewell have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Jewell
      • Jewell is located in Clatsop County (OR)
    • Svensen Junction
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Svensen Junction
      • Svensen Junction is located in Clatsop County (OR)
  • Columbia County (OR)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Coal Creek, with the one closest to Coal Creek listed first.
    • Mayger
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayger
      • Mayger is located in Columbia County (OR)
    • Quincy
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quincy
      • Quincy is located in Columbia County (OR)
    • Rainier
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
      • 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>
    • Beaver Springs
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaver Springs
      • Beaver Springs is located in Columbia County (OR)
    • Clatskanie
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Prescott
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • 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
    • Goble
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goble
      • Goble is located in Columbia County (OR)
    • Reuben
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reuben
      • Reuben is located in Columbia County (OR)
    • Deer Island
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
    • Fishhawk ‑ Historic
      (20 miles [32.2 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
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pittsburg
      • Pittsburg is located in Columbia County (OR)
    • Columbia City
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southeast)

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

Newspapers Published in Coal Creek ...

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 68 newspapers that have been published in the area around Coal Creek.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Coal Creek, 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 Coal Creek.

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 Coal Creek:

Cemeteries Near Coal Creek ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Coal Creek.

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

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

  • Longview Memorial Park
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the south)
  • Mt. Solo Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Mayger Downing Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
  • Stella / Wiest Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • 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>
  • Catlin Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)
  • Stockport Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • 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>
  • Bunker Hill Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Cowlitz View Memorial Gardens
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • 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>
  • Green Hills Memorial Gardens
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the east)
  • Smith - Tucker Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • 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>
  • Whittle & Hubbard Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • 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
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
    • 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>
  • Continue List   (65 more) ...

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 Coal Creek in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Coal Creek.

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

  • Mayger
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayger
    • Mayger is located in Columbia County (OR)
  • Lexington
    (5 miles [8 km] to the east)
    • 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
  • Stella
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • 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
  • Kelso
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
    • 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>
  • Castle Rock
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Rainier
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • 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>
  • Oak Point
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • 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
  • Eagle Cliff
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Eagle Cliff have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Eagle Cliff
    • Eagle Cliff is located in Wahkiakum County
  • Clatskanie
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Carrolls
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Waterford
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Waterford have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waterford
    • Waterford is located in Wahkiakum County
  • Apiary ‑ Historic
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Apiary have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Apiary
    • Apiary is located in Columbia County (OR)
  • Continue List   (13 more) ...
    • Olequa
      (12 miles [19.3 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
    • Reuben
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reuben
      • Reuben is located in Columbia County (OR)
    • Goble
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goble
      • Goble is located in Columbia County (OR)

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

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

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 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Coal Creek) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Coal Creek. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 46.2003, Longitude: -123.0176    
<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 Coal Creek, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

Copyright 2024
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: 07 Apr 2024