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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 Rock Falls (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 Rock Falls. 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.

Rock Falls is located in Dunn 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 Dunn County: Barron, Chippewa, Eau Claire, Pepin, Pierce, Polk & Saint Croix.

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

  • Dunn County     (The home county of Rock Falls)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rock Falls, with the one closest to Rock Falls listed first.
    • Meridean
      (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Falls City
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Falls City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falls City
      • Falls City is located in Dunn County
    • Elk Mound
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elk Mound have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elk Mound
      • Elk Mound is located in Dunn County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 884 people
    • Dunnville
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
    • Menomonie
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Menomonie have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Menomonie
      • Menomonie is located in Dunn County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 16,599 people
    • Eau Galle
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
    • Colfax
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Colfax have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Colfax
      • Colfax is located in Dunn County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,151 people
    • Tainter Lake
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Tainter Lake have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tainter Lake
      • Tainter Lake is located in Dunn County
    • Wheeler
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wheeler have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wheeler
      • Wheeler is located in Dunn County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 353 people
    • Knapp
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the northwest)
    • Boyceville
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
  • Buffalo County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rock Falls, with the one closest to Rock Falls listed first.
    • Mondovi
      (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mondovi have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mondovi
      • Mondovi is located in Buffalo County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,562 people
    • Springdale ‑ Historic
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Springdale have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Springdale
      • Springdale is located in Buffalo County
    • Gilmanton
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)
    • Lookout
      (18 miles [29 km] to the south)
    • Maxville
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the southwest)
    • Nelson
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Nelson have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nelson
      • Nelson is located in Buffalo County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 343 people
    • Montana
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Montana. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Montana
      • Montana is located in Buffalo County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Montana
      • From Rock Falls to Montana
    • Waumandee
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the south)
    • Alma
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the south)
  • Chippewa County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rock Falls, with the one closest to Rock Falls listed first.
    • Albertville
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
    • Lake Hallie
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Hallie have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Hallie
      • Lake Hallie is located in Chippewa County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,779 people
    • Irvine
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Irvine. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Irvine
      • Irvine is located in Chippewa County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Irvine
      • From Rock Falls to Irvine
    • Chippewa Falls
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northeast)
    • Lake Wissota
      (23 miles [37 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lake Wissota have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lake Wissota
      • Lake Wissota is located in Chippewa County
    • Eagleton
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Bloomer
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
    • Cadott
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cadott have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cadott
      • Cadott is located in Chippewa County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,411 people
  • Eau Claire County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rock Falls, with the one closest to Rock Falls listed first.
    • Lufkin
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northeast)
    • Shawtown
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Shawtown. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shawtown
      • Shawtown is located in Eau Claire County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Shawtown
      • From Rock Falls to Shawtown
    • Eau Claire
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
    • Altoona
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Altoona have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Altoona
      • Altoona is located in Eau Claire County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,062 people
    • Seymour
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Seymour have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Seymour
      • Seymour is located in Eau Claire County
    • Allen
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
    • Fall Creek
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Fall Creek have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fall Creek
      • Fall Creek is located in Eau Claire County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,291 people
    • Augusta
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Augusta have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Augusta
      • Augusta is located in Eau Claire County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,517 people
  • Jackson County
  • Pepin County
  • Pierce County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rock Falls, with the one closest to Rock Falls listed first.
    • Elmwood
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elmwood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elmwood
      • Elmwood is located in Pierce County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 790 people
    • Plum City
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Plum City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plum City
      • Plum City is located in Pierce County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 603 people
    • Waverly
      (27 miles [43.5 km] to the west)
    • Olivet
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Olivet. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Olivet
      • Olivet is located in Pierce County
      • Google driving directions:
      • From your current location to Olivet
      • From Rock Falls to Olivet
    • Spring Valley
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
  • Saint Croix County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rock Falls, with the one closest to Rock Falls listed first.
    • Wilson
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northwest)
    • Hersey
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
  • Trempealeau County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rock Falls, with the one closest to Rock Falls listed first.
    • Eleva
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Strum
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Russell
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
    • Osseo
      (25 miles [40.2 km] to the east)
    • Independence
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Independence have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Independence
      • Independence is located in Trempealeau County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,291 people
    • New City ‑ Historic
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New City
      • New City is located in Trempealeau County
    • Whitehall
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Whitehall have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whitehall
      • Whitehall is located in Trempealeau County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,565 people
  • Wabasha County (MN)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Rock Falls, with the one closest to Rock Falls listed first.
    • Reads Landing
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Reads Landing have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Reads Landing
      • Reads Landing is located in Wabasha County (MN)
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Reads Landing <3>
    • Wabasha
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Wabasha have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Wabasha
      • Wabasha is located in Wabasha County (MN)
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,467 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Wabasha <3>

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

Cemeteries Near Rock Falls ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Rock Falls.

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

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

  • Rock Creek Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Rock Creek Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Rock Creek Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • East Pepin Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
  • Peterson Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Peterson Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Peterson Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Spring Brook Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the north)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Spring Brook Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Spring Brook Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Fossum Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Fossum Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Fossum Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Sand Hill Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Sand Hill Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Sand Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Peru Cemetery
    (4 miles [6.4 km] to the west)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Peru Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Peru Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Brunswick Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Brunswick Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Brunswick Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Falls City Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Falls City Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Falls City Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Prince of Peace Covenant Church Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Forest Center Cemetery
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Forest Center Cemetery
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Forest Center Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
  • Drammen Lutheran Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (161 more) ...
    • German Valley Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the German Valley Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the German Valley Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Waneka Cemetery
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Waneka Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Waneka Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Pleasant Valley Norwegian Lutheran Cemetery
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Pleasant Valley Norwegian Lutheran Cemetery
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Pleasant Valley Norwegian Lutheran 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.<6>

The Rand McNally Atlas shows that Rock Falls had a population of 89 people in 1895 with a post office and no railroad service.

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

  • Caryville
    (2 miles [3.2 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Caryville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Caryville
    • Caryville is located in Dunn County
  • Meridean
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
  • Shawtown
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Shawtown. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<2>
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Shawtown
    • Shawtown is located in Eau Claire County
    • Google driving directions:
    • From your current location to Shawtown
    • From Rock Falls to Shawtown
  • Mondovi
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mondovi have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mondovi
    • Mondovi is located in Buffalo County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 2,562 people
  • Truax
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Truax have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Truax
    • Truax is located in Eau Claire County
  • Elk Mound
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Elk Mound have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Elk Mound
    • Elk Mound is located in Dunn County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 884 people
  • Dunnville
    (10 miles [16.1 km] to the west)
  • Eau Claire
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Downsville
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Downsville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Downsville
    • Downsville is located in Dunn County
  • Altoona
    (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Altoona have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Altoona
    • Altoona is located in Eau Claire County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 8,062 people
  • Durand
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southwest)
  • Eleva
    (14 miles [22.5 km] to the southeast)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Rusk
      (14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rusk have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rusk
      • Rusk is located in Dunn County
    • Menomonie
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Menomonie have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Menomonie
      • Menomonie is located in Dunn County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 16,599 people
    • Eau Galle
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)

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

Newspapers Published in Rock Falls ...

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 157 newspapers that have been published in the area around Rock Falls.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Rock Falls, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Rock Falls.

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 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 Rock Falls:

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

The official website for Dunn County: www.dunncountywi.govoffice2.com/

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>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.
<3>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<4>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 drawn from Point A (ie- Rock Falls) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Rock Falls. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 44.7185, Longitude: -91.6927       In this case, the coordinates for Rock Falls have been provided by the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS).
<5>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.
<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 Rock Falls, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 29 Apr 2025