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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 Park Rapids (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 Park Rapids. 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 Park Rapids ...

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 Park Rapids: Park Rpds.

If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.

Neighboring Counties ...

When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring counties.

For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the northeast corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals 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.

Park Rapids is located in Stevens 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 Stevens County: Ferry, Lincoln, Pend Oreille & Spokane.

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

  • Stevens County     (The home county of Park Rapids)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Park Rapids, with the one closest to Park Rapids listed first.
    • Pinkney City
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pinkney City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pinkney City
      • Pinkney City is located in Stevens County
    • Colville
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Addy
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Chewelah
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Kettle Falls
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
    • Spirit
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Spirit
      • Spirit is located in Stevens County
    • Evans
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Marcus
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marcus
      • Marcus is located in Stevens County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 172 people
    • Blue Town ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Blue Town have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Blue Town
      • Blue Town is located in Stevens County
    • Valley
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
    • Waits
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Waits
      • Waits is located in Stevens County
    • Marble
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marble
      • Marble is located in Stevens County
  • Ferry County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Park Rapids, with the one closest to Park Rapids listed first.
    • Barstow
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barstow
      • Barstow is located in Ferry County
    • Inchelium
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
  • Pend Oreille County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Park Rapids, with the one closest to Park Rapids listed first.
    • Ruby
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ruby
      • Ruby is located in Pend Oreille County
    • Diamond City
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Diamond City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Diamond City
      • Diamond City is located in Pend Oreille County
    • Ione
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ione
      • Ione is located in Pend Oreille County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 485 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Ione <2>
    • Cusick
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cusick
      • Cusick is located in Pend Oreille County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 224 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cusick <2>
    • Usk
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Metaline
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northeast)
    • Metaline Falls
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Pend Oreille Village
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pend Oreille Village have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pend Oreille Village
      • Pend Oreille Village is located in Pend Oreille County
    • Dalkena
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dalkena
      • Dalkena is located in Pend Oreille County

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

Cemeteries Near Park Rapids ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Park Rapids.

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

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

  • Evergreen Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Evergreen Cemetery
    • To give a relative sense of its location, the Evergreen Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the northeast of Colville.
    • Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #76777 <3>
  • Calvary Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Calvary Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Calvary Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Highland Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Highland Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Highland Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Mountain View Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mountain View Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mountain View Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Riverside Cemetery
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Riverside Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Riverside Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Chewelah City Cemetery
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Chewelah City Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Chewelah City Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Chewelah Memorial Park
    (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Chewelah Memorial Park
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Chewelah Memorial Park have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Summit Valley Cemetery
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Summit Valley Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Summit Valley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Grandview Cemetery
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Grandview Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Grandview Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Meyers Falls Cemetery
    (20 miles [32.2 km] to the west)
  • Bossburg Cemetery
    (23 miles [37 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bossburg Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bossburg Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Stranger Creek Cemetery
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Stranger Creek Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Stranger Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Continue List   (5 more) ...
    • Perkins Cemetery
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Perkins Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Perkins Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Cully Memorial Cemetery
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Cully Memorial Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Cully Memorial Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Forest Home Cemetery
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Forest Home Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Forest Home Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.

Nearby Communities in 1895 ...

We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.<4>

While we didn't find Park Rapids in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Park Rapids.

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

  • Arden
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Arden have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Arden
    • Arden is located in Stevens County
  • Colville
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
  • Addy
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Chewelah
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
  • Kettle Falls
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)
  • Marcus
    (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Marcus
    • Marcus is located in Stevens County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 172 people
  • Valley
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
  • Little Dalles ‑ Historic
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Little Dalles have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Little Dalles
    • Little Dalles is located in Stevens County
  • Bossburg ‑ Historic
    (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bossburg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bossburg
    • Bossburg is located in Stevens County
  • Harvey ‑ Historic
    (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Harvey have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Harvey
    • Harvey is located in Stevens County
  • Daisy
    (26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Daisy
    • Daisy is located in Stevens County

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

Newspapers Published in Park Rapids ...

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 35 newspapers that have been published in the area around Park Rapids.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Park Rapids, there are papers which were published within 27 miles [43.5 km]<5>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Park Rapids.

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 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 Park Rapids:

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

The official website for Stevens County: www.co.stevens.wa.us/

The official website for State of Washington: https://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>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.
<4>We use the term 'Historic' broadly and it generally means that the community no longer exists. However, it can also mean that the community might still exist, but was significantly larger or had a more 'official' existence in the past than it does now. Unfortunately our sources of data have proven to be unreliable. If you can provide us with more specific information about Park Rapids, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.
<5>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' distance. A straight line distance ignores obstructions like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Park Rapids) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Park Rapids. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 48.5263, Longitude: -117.6391       In this case, the coordinates for Park Rapids have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025