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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 Goldendale (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 Goldendale. 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 northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and 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.

Goldendale is located in Klickitat County and is the County Seat.

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 Klickitat County: Gilliam (OR), Hood River (OR), Morrow (OR), Sherman (OR), Wasco (OR), Benton, Skamania & Yakima.

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

  • Klickitat County     (The home county of Goldendale)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Goldendale, with the one closest to Goldendale listed first.
    • Blockhouse
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Blockhouse have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blockhouse
      • Blockhouse is located in Klickitat County
    • Centerville
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Maryhill
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
    • Wishram
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Wahkiacus
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wahkiacus
      • Wahkiacus is located in Klickitat County
    • Klickitat
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Appleton
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Dallesport
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southwest)
    • Lyle
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
    • Cleveland
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cleveland
      • Cleveland is located in Klickitat County
    • Glenwood
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Bickleton
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
  • Gilliam County (OR)
    • Arlington
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
  • Sherman County (OR)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Goldendale, with the one closest to Goldendale listed first.
    • Rufus
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rufus have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rufus
      • Rufus is located in Sherman County (OR)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 257 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rufus <2>
    • Biggs Junction
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Biggs Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Biggs Junction
      • Biggs Junction is located in Sherman County (OR)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Biggs Junction <2>
    • Wasco
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wasco have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wasco
      • Wasco is located in Sherman County (OR)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 419 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wasco <2>
    • Sinks ‑ Historic
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sinks
      • Sinks is located in Sherman County (OR)
    • Klondike
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Klondike
      • Klondike is located in Sherman County (OR)
    • De Moss Springs
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for De Moss Springs
      • De Moss Springs is located in Sherman County (OR)
    • Gordon ‑ Historic
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Gordon. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<3>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gordon
      • Gordon is located in Sherman County (OR)
    • Moro
      (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moro
      • Moro is located in Sherman County (OR)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 332 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Moro <2>
    • Monkland
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Monkland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monkland
      • Monkland is located in Sherman County (OR)
  • Wasco County (OR)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Goldendale, with the one closest to Goldendale listed first.
    • Celilo Village
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Celilo Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Celilo Village
      • Celilo Village is located in Wasco County (OR)
    • Fairbanks
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairbanks
      • Fairbanks is located in Wasco County (OR)
    • City of The Dalles
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for City of The Dalles came from an uncertain source and they still need to be verified:<4>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for City of The Dalles
      • City of The Dalles is located in Wasco County (OR)
    • The Dalles
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Rowena
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
    • Chenoweth
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Chenoweth have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chenoweth
      • Chenoweth is located in Wasco County (OR)
    • Rice ‑ Historic
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rice
      • Rice is located in Wasco County (OR)
    • Ortley ‑ Historic
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ortley
      • Ortley is located in Wasco County (OR)
    • Boyd ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boyd
      • Boyd is located in Wasco County (OR)
    • Dufur
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dufur
      • Dufur is located in Wasco County (OR)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 634 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dufur <2>
    • Mosier
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mosier
      • Mosier is located in Wasco County (OR)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 458 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mosier <2>

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Goldendale ...

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 29 newspapers that have been published in the area around Goldendale.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Goldendale. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Goldendale and those printed in the larger area surrounding Goldendale.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<5> of Goldendale.

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 Goldendale:

Cemeteries Near Goldendale ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Goldendale.

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

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

  • Centerville Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Centerville Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Centerville Cemetery
  • Celilo Indian Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Celilo Indian Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Celilo Indian Cemetery
  • Celilo Indian Cemetery
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Celilo Indian Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Celilo Indian Cemetery
  • Sunrise Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sunrise Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sunrise Cemetery
  • Wasco Methodist Cemetery
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wasco Methodist Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wasco Methodist Cemetery
  • Hartland Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Hartland Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Hartland Cemetery
  • Crawford Family Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Petersburg Cemetery
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Petersburg Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Petersburg Cemetery
  • Emigrant Springs Cemetery
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
  • Wish - Ham Cemetery
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Wish - Ham Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Wish - Ham Cemetery
  • Viewpoint Grave Island Memorial
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Viewpoint Grave Island Memorial have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Viewpoint Grave Island Memorial
  • De Moss Cemetery
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the De Moss Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the De Moss Cemetery
  • Continue List   (26 more) ...
    • Dunkard Graveyard
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Dunkard Graveyard have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Dunkard Graveyard
    • IOOF Cemetery
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the IOOF Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the IOOF Cemetery
    • St. Peters Cemetery
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the St. Peters Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the St. Peters 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 Goldendale had a population of 702 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service. In 2020, Goldendale had a population of 3,669 people.

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

  • Blockhouse
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Blockhouse have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blockhouse
    • Blockhouse is located in Klickitat County
  • Rufus
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rufus have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rufus
    • Rufus is located in Sherman County (OR)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 257 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rufus <2>
  • Biggs
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Biggs have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Biggs
    • Biggs is located in Sherman County (OR)
  • Wasco
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wasco have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wasco
    • Wasco is located in Sherman County (OR)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 419 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wasco <2>
  • Emigrant Springs ‑ Historic
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Emigrant Springs have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Emigrant Springs
    • Emigrant Springs is located in Sherman County (OR)
  • De Moss Springs
    (22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for De Moss Springs
    • De Moss Springs is located in Sherman County (OR)
  • Lyle
    (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
  • Rowena
    (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
  • The Dalles
    (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
  • Moro
    (23 miles [37 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moro
    • Moro is located in Sherman County (OR)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 332 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Moro <2>
  • Dot
    (23 miles [37 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dot have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dot
    • Dot is located in Klickitat County
  • Cleveland
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cleveland
    • Cleveland is located in Klickitat County
  • Continue List   (7 more) ...
    • Monkland
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Monkland have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Monkland
      • Monkland is located in Sherman County (OR)
    • Boyd ‑ Historic
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boyd
      • Boyd is located in Wasco County (OR)
    • Glenwood
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northwest)

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

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

The official website for Klickitat County: www.klickitatcounty.org/

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>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.
<4>If we found a location and have questions about the accuracy of our information, we will simply say that the marker is 'in the vicinity'. We are not confident about the location and the position of our marker is only a rough guide. If we have too many doubts about the location, we will not include it in our database.
<5>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 from Point A (ie- Goldendale) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Goldendale. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 45.8230, Longitude: -120.8226    
<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 Goldendale, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024