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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 Kalama (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 Kalama. 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.

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

  • Cowlitz County     (The home county of Kalama)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Kalama, with the one closest to Kalama listed first.
    • Carrolls
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
    • Rose Valley
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rose Valley
      • Rose Valley is located in Cowlitz County
    • Kelso
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
      • 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 <1>
    • Longview
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Ostrander
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ostrander
      • Ostrander is located in Cowlitz County
    • Ariel
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
    • Longview Heights
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Longview Heights have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Longview Heights
      • Longview Heights is located in Cowlitz County
    • West Longview
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for West Longview have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Longview
      • West Longview is located in Cowlitz County
    • Coal Creek
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coal Creek
      • Coal Creek is located in Cowlitz County
    • Castle Rock
      (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Stella
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Stella have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stella
      • Stella is located in Cowlitz County
    • Silver Lake
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the north)
    • Toutle
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
  • Clark County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Kalama, with the one closest to Kalama listed first.
    • Woodland
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • La Center
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Ridgefield
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
    • Pioneer
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pioneer
      • Pioneer is located in Clark County
    • Sara
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sara have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sara
      • Sara is located in Clark County
    • King Corner
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for King Corner
      • King Corner is located in Clark County
    • Cherry Grove
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cherry Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cherry Grove
      • Cherry Grove is located in Clark County
    • Dollar's Corner
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Dollar's Corner have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dollar's Corner
      • Dollar's Corner is located in Clark County
    • Amboy
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
    • Lewisville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lewisville have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lewisville
      • Lewisville is located in Clark County
    • Felida
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Felida have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Felida
      • Felida is located in Clark County
    • Battle Ground
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
    • Heisson
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Lewis County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Kalama, with the one closest to Kalama listed first.
    • Vader
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the north)
    • Toledo
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the north)
  • Wahkiakum County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Kalama, with the one closest to Kalama listed first.
    • East Cathlamet
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for East Cathlamet have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for East Cathlamet
      • East Cathlamet is located in Wahkiakum County
    • Cathlamet
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northwest)
  • Clatsop County (OR)
  • Columbia County (OR)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Kalama, with the one closest to Kalama listed first.
    • Goble
      (Less than 2 miles to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goble
      • Goble is located in Columbia County (OR)
    • Reuben
      (Less than 2 miles to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reuben
      • Reuben is located in Columbia County (OR)
    • Prescott
      (3 miles [4.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Prescott have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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
    • Beaver Springs
      (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beaver Springs
      • Beaver Springs is located in Columbia County (OR)
    • Deer Island
      (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
    • Rainier
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rainier have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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 <1>
    • Columbia City
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
    • Saint Helens
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint Helens have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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 <1>
    • Warren
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
    • Mayger
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mayger
      • Mayger is located in Columbia County (OR)
    • Pittsburg
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pittsburg
      • Pittsburg is located in Columbia County (OR)
    • Quincy
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Quincy
      • Quincy is located in Columbia County (OR)
    • Scappoose
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
  • Multnomah County (OR)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Kalama, with the one closest to Kalama listed first.
    • Burlington
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Burlington
      • Burlington is located in Multnomah County (OR)
    • Vanport City ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vanport City
      • Vanport City is located in Multnomah County (OR)
  • Washington County (OR)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Kalama, with the one closest to Kalama listed first.
    • Buxton
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Manning
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • North Plains
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Plains have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Plains
      • North Plains is located in Washington County (OR)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,194 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for North Plains <1>
    • Banks
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Banks
      • Banks is located in Washington County (OR)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,034 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Banks <1>
    • Timber
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Christie ‑ Historic
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Christie
      • Christie is located in Washington County (OR)
      • Christie has also been known as:
      • Carstens

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

Newspapers Published in the Vicinity of Kalama ...

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 65 newspapers that have been published in the area around Kalama.

We have organized these newspapers into two lists:

  • A Local Newspaper List - focusing on the papers published in the immediate area of Kalama. There are actually two parts to this list - papers printed in the immediate area of Kalama and those printed in the larger area surrounding Kalama.
  • An Extended Newspaper List - a longer list, sorted by paper name and containing those papers published within 21 miles [33.8 km]<3> of Kalama.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit 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 Kalama:

Cemeteries Near Kalama ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Kalama.

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

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

  • Kalama IOOF Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Kalama IOOF Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the north of Kalama.
    • The Kalama IOOF Cemetery has also been known as:
    • IOOF Cemetery
    • IOOF Cemetery
    • Kalama IOOF Cemetery
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Kalama IOOF Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2146334 <4>
  • Prescott Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Prescott Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<5>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Prescott Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #39313 <4>
  • Welter Family Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Welter Family Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<5>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Welter Family Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2269447 <4>
  • Neer City Cemetery
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the northwest)
  • Martins Bluff Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)
  • Mt. Pleasant Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
  • Kobel Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Jones Family Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
  • Gore Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Gore Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<5>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Gore Cemetery
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2426339 <4>
  • Kinder Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)
  • Rose Valley Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Dibblee House
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Dibblee House. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<5>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Dibblee House
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #2426176 <4>
  • Continue List   (93 more) ...
    • Knights of Pythias Cemetery
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • IOOF Cemetery
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
      • To give a relative sense of its location, the IOOF Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located in Woodland.
      • The IOOF Cemetery has also been known as:
      • Odd Fellows Cemetery
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the IOOF Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1986229 <4>
    • Woodbine Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for the Woodbine Cemetery. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<5>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Woodbine Cemetery
      • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #495875 <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 Kalama had a population of 325 people in 1895 with a post office and railroad service. In 2020, Kalama had a population of 2,844 people.

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

  • Goble
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Goble
    • Goble is located in Columbia County (OR)
  • Reuben
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reuben
    • Reuben is located in Columbia County (OR)
  • Carrolls
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the north)
  • Deer Island
    (5 miles [8 km] to the south)
  • Caples
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Caples have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caples
    • Caples is located in Cowlitz County
  • Rainier
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rainier have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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 <1>
  • Columbia City
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
  • Woodland
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
  • Apiary ‑ Historic
    (8 miles [12.9 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Apiary have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Apiary
    • Apiary is located in Columbia County (OR)
  • Kelso
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)
    • 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 <1>
  • Hayes
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hayes have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hayes
    • Hayes is located in Clark County
  • Saint Helens
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint Helens have been provided by the GNIS.<2> 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 <1>
  • Continue List   (14 more) ...
    • Lexington
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lexington have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lexington
      • Lexington is located in Cowlitz County
    • La Center
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
    • Etna
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Etna have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Etna
      • Etna is located in Clark County

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

The official website for Kalama: www.cityofkalama.com/

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

The official website for State of Washington: https://access.wa.gov/

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 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.
<3>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Kalama) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Kalama. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 46.0089, Longitude: -122.8434    
<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 Kalama, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024