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 Portland (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 Portland. 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 southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most hospitals and doctors were in the next county to the west. 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 west 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.
Portland is located in Monroe County.
To see how the shape of Wisconsin's counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Monroe County: Jackson, Juneau, La Crosse & Vernon.
Below are the counties that are near Portland. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Portland:
- Monroe County (The home county of Portland)
- The following are listed by their distance from Portland, with the one closest to Portland listed first.
- Melvina
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melvina
- Melvina is located in Monroe County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 109 people
- Cashton
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast) - Norwalk
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norwalk
- Norwalk is located in Monroe County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 633 people
- Sparta
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sparta
- Sparta is located in Monroe County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 9,800 people
- Oil City
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east) - Angelo
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Angelo
- Angelo is located in Monroe County
- Wilton
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east) - Tunnel City
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tunnel City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tunnel City
- Tunnel City is located in Monroe County
- Tomah
(23 miles [37 km] to the northeast) - Kendall
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the east) - Clifton
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clifton
- Clifton is located in Monroe County
- Oakdale
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast) - Valley Junction
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Valley Junction
- Valley Junction is located in Monroe County
- Crawford County
- The following are listed by their distance from Portland, with the one closest to Portland listed first.
- Towerville
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Towerville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Towerville
- Towerville is located in Crawford County
- Soldiers Grove
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Soldiers Grove have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Soldiers Grove
- Soldiers Grove is located in Crawford County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 535 people
- De Soto
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for De Soto
- De Soto is located in Crawford County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 278 people
- Gays Mills
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Gays Mills have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gays Mills
- Gays Mills is located in Crawford County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 504 people
- Jackson County
- The following are listed by their distance from Portland, with the one closest to Portland listed first.
- North Bend
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for North Bend have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for North Bend
- North Bend is located in Jackson County
- Melrose
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melrose
- Melrose is located in Jackson County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 476 people
- Juneau County
- The following are listed by their distance from Portland, with the one closest to Portland listed first.
- Elroy
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the east) - Hustler
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hustler
- Hustler is located in Juneau County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 190 people
- Union Center
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Union Center have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Union Center
- Union Center is located in Juneau County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 193 people
- La Crosse County
- The following are listed by their distance from Portland, with the one closest to Portland listed first.
- Middle Ridge
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Middle Ridge have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middle Ridge
- Middle Ridge is located in La Crosse County
- Rockland
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockland
- Rockland is located in La Crosse County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 710 people
- Saint Joseph
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Joseph
- Saint Joseph is located in La Crosse County
- Bangor
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest) - Barre Mills
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Barre Mills have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Barre Mills
- Barre Mills is located in La Crosse County
- West Salem
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Salem
- West Salem is located in La Crosse County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,013 people
- Shelby
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west) - Onalaska
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest) - Grand Crossing
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Grand Crossing have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Grand Crossing
- Grand Crossing is located in La Crosse County
- La Crosse
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Crosse
- La Crosse is located in La Crosse County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 51,163 people
- Mindoro
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mindoro
- Mindoro is located in La Crosse County
- French Island
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for French Island
- French Island is located in La Crosse County
- Midway
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Midway
- Midway is located in La Crosse County
- Richland County
- The following are listed by their distance from Portland, with the one closest to Portland listed first.
- Viola
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the southeast) - Yuba
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southeast) - Bloom City
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloom City
- Bloom City is located in Richland County
- Sabin
(27 miles [43.5 km] to the southeast)
- Vernon County
- The following are listed by their distance from Portland, with the one closest to Portland listed first.
- Newry
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newry
- Newry is located in Vernon County
- Westby
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westby
- Westby is located in Vernon County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,254 people
- Coon Valley
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Coon Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coon Valley
- Coon Valley is located in Vernon County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 782 people
- Ontario
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east) - Viroqua
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south) - Chaseburg
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Chaseburg
- Chaseburg is located in Vernon County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 291 people
- La Farge
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Farge
- La Farge is located in Vernon County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 763 people
- Liberty
(18 miles [29 km] to the south) - Liberty Pole
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Liberty Pole
- Liberty Pole is located in Vernon County
- Purdy
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest) - Stoddard
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stoddard
- Stoddard is located in Vernon County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 831 people
- Mount Tabor
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mount Tabor
- Mount Tabor is located in Vernon County
- Fargo
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the south)
- Allamakee County (IA)
- New Albin
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New Albin
- New Albin is located in Allamakee County (IA)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 498 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for New Albin <2>
- New Albin
- Houston County (MN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Portland, with the one closest to Portland listed first.
- Brownsville
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownsville
- Brownsville is located in Houston County (MN)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 505 people
- La Crescent
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for La Crescent have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for La Crescent
- La Crescent is located in Houston County (MN)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,037 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for La Crescent <2>
- Reno
(23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reno
- Reno is located in Houston County (MN)
- Hokah
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Hokah have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hokah
- Hokah is located in Houston County (MN)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 548 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hokah <2>
- Winona County (MN)
- The following are listed by their distance from Portland, with the one closest to Portland listed first.
- Dakota
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the west) - Nodine
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nodine
- Nodine is located in Winona County (MN)
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Portland, see our County-by-County Page for Portland.
Newspapers Published in Portland ...
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 166 newspapers that have been published in the area around Portland.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Portland, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Portland.
Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
When we do our genealogical research, we first turn to 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 Portland:
- Websites specific to Wisconsin
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Website for the //www.wisconsinhistory.org/
- Pages specific to Monroe County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Crawford County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Jackson County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Juneau County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- La Crosse County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Richland County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Vernon County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Allamakee County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Houston County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Winona County
- Jump to Cyndi's List
- Jump to Family Search
- Jump to Genealogy Trails
- Crawford County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Wisconsin
- Cemetery Junction: Cemeteries of Wisconsin
- Cyndi's List
- Cemeteries of Wisconsin
- Cemeteries of Monroe County
- FamilySearch.org: Cemeteries of Wisconsin
- Find-A-Grave: Home Page
- Interment.net
- Cemeteries of Wisconsin
- Cemeteries of Monroe County
Cemeteries Near Portland ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Portland.
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 Portland covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Portland, with the one closest to Portland listed first.
- Moen Cemetery
(2 miles [3.2 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Moen Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Moen Cemetery
- Rest Haven Cemetery
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rest Haven Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rest Haven Cemetery
- Sacred Heart Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sacred Heart Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sacred Heart Cemetery
- Union Cemetery
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Union Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Union Cemetery
- Clinton Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Clinton Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Clinton Cemetery
- Pine Hollow Cemetery
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pine Hollow Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pine Hollow Cemetery
- Our Saviours Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Our Saviours Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Our Saviours Cemetery
- North Ridge Cemetery
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the North Ridge Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the North Ridge Cemetery
- Pleasant View Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pleasant View Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pleasant View Cemetery
- Bethesda Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Bethesda Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Bethesda Cemetery
- Welsh Calvanistic Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Welsh Calvanistic Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Welsh Calvanistic Cemetery
- Welsh Congregational Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Welsh Congregational Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Welsh Congregational Cemetery
- Continue List (206 more) ...
- Leon Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Leon Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Leon Cemetery
- Coon Prairie Lutheran Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Coon Prairie Lutheran Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Coon Prairie Lutheran Cemetery
- Home Cemetery
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Home Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Home Cemetery
- Leon 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.<4>
While we didn't find Portland in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Portland.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Portland, with the one closest to Portland listed first.
- Newry
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Newry
- Newry is located in Vernon County
- Cashton
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast) - Melvina
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Melvina
- Melvina is located in Monroe County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 109 people
- Middle Ridge
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Middle Ridge have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middle Ridge
- Middle Ridge is located in La Crosse County
- Westby
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westby
- Westby is located in Vernon County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,254 people
- Leon
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the north) - Coon Valley
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Coon Valley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Coon Valley
- Coon Valley is located in Vernon County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 782 people
- Saint Marys
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Saint Marys have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Marys
- Saint Marys is located in Monroe County
- Rockland
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rockland
- Rockland is located in La Crosse County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 710 people
- Bloomingdale
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Bloomingdale have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bloomingdale
- Bloomingdale is located in Vernon County
- Saint Joseph
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Saint Joseph
- Saint Joseph is located in La Crosse County
- Esofea
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the southwest) - Continue List (13 more) ...
- Avalanche
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south) - Norwalk
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Norwalk
- Norwalk is located in Monroe County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 633 people
- Sparta
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sparta
- Sparta is located in Monroe County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 9,800 people
- Avalanche
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Portland. See our List of 1890's Communities around Portland.
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Portland. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Monroe County: www.co.monroe.wi.us/
The official website for State of Wisconsin: https://www.wisconsin.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 things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line from Point A (ie- Portland) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Portland. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 43.7689, Longitude: -90.8582 In this case, the coordinates for Portland have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). |
| <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 Portland, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |