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 Willow Springs (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 Willow Springs. 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 Willow Springs ...
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.
For example, a typical abbreviation for Willow Springs: Willow Spgs. (or less commonly used: Willow Spngs. or Willow Sprngs.)
You might be interested in other communities that are also named Willow Springs. More information can be found on our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Willow Springs.
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 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.
Willow Springs is located in Crook County.
To see how the shape of Wyoming's counties may have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Crook County: Carter (MT), Powder River (MT), Butte (SD), Lawrence (SD), Campbell & Weston.
Below are the counties that are near Willow Springs. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Willow Springs:
- Crook County (The home county of Willow Springs)
- The following are listed by their distance from Willow Springs, with the one closest to Willow Springs listed first.
- Moskee ‑ Historic
(3 miles [4.8 km] to the southwest)
- Moskee is located in Crook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Moskee
- Sundance
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Beulah
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Aladdin
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the north)
- Linden
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Linden is located in Crook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Linden
- Alva
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the northwest)
- Weston County
- The following are listed by their distance from Willow Springs, with the one closest to Willow Springs listed first.
- Horton ‑ Historic
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)
- Horton is located in Weston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Horton
- Four Corners
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
- Cambria ‑ Historic
(25 miles [40.2 km] to the south)
- Cambria is located in Weston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cambria
- Clay Spur
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Clay Spur is located in Weston County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Clay Spur
- Osage
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the southwest)
- Upton
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
- Butte County (SD)
- Belle Fourche
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
- Lawrence County (SD)
- The following are listed by their distance from Willow Springs, with the one closest to Willow Springs listed first.
- Tinton ‑ Historic
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the northeast)
- Tinton is located in Lawrence County (SD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tinton
- Estimated population in 2014: 477 people
- Savoy
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the east)
- Preston
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Preston is located in Lawrence County (SD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Preston
- Estimated population in 2014: 185 people
- Ragged Top ‑ Historic
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- Ragged Top is located in Lawrence County (SD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ragged Top
- Estimated population in 2014: 73 people
- Maurice
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast)
- Maurice is located in Lawrence County (SD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Maurice
- Carbonate ‑ Historic
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Carbonate is located in Lawrence County (SD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carbonate
- Trojan
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
- Trojan is located in Lawrence County (SD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trojan
- Estimated population in 2014: 627 people
- Dumont
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Dumont is located in Lawrence County (SD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dumont
- Estimated population in 2014: 45 people
- Englewood
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Englewood is located in Lawrence County (SD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Englewood
- Estimated population in 2014: 25 people
- Central City
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Central City is located in Lawrence County (SD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Central City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 155 people
- Flatiron ‑ Historic
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Flatiron is located in Lawrence County (SD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flatiron
- Estimated population in 2014: 15 people
- Lancaster City ‑ Historic
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Lancaster City is located in Lawrence County (SD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lancaster City
- Estimated population in 2014: 419 people
- Lead
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Lead is located in Lawrence County (SD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lead
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,947 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lead <1>
- Pennington County (SD)
- The following are listed by their distance from Willow Springs, with the one closest to Willow Springs listed first.
- Myersville
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Myersville is located in Pennington County (SD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Myersville
- Estimated population in 2014: 10 people
- Rochford
(24 miles [38.6 km] to the southeast)
- Fairview ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southeast)
- Fairview is located in Pennington County (SD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fairview
- Estimated population in 2014: 65 people
- Mystic
(29 miles [46.7 km] to the southeast)
- Mystic is located in Pennington County (SD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mystic
- Canyon City ‑ Historic
(30 miles [48.3 km] to the southeast)
- Canyon City is located in Pennington County (SD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Canyon City
For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Willow Springs, see our County-by-County Page for Willow Springs.
Cemeteries Near Willow Springs ...
Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Willow Springs.
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.
Although we don't have the information ourselves, if you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our list of websites on our Genealogy Helper Page for Willow Springs - one of the links might be able to help.
If not found below, our Cemetery List for Willow Springs covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.
The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Willow Springs, with the one closest to Willow Springs listed first.
- Bear Gulch Cemetery
(7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
- Inyan Kara Cemetery
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
- Soldiers Gravesite
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
- Green Mtn. Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the southwest)
- Green Mtn. Cemetery
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
- Preston Cemetery
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the east)
- St. Albert's Cemetery
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the south)
- Ward Cemetery
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east)
- Carbonate Cemetery
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Mt. Moriah Cemetery
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Boyd Cemetery
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the south)
- Englewood Cemetery
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Continue List (26 more) ...
- Terry Cemetery
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)
- Beulah Cemetery
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beulah Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the Beulah Cemetery is located outside and to the east of Beulah.
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1374583 <2>
- West Lead Cemetery
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for West Lead Cemetery
- To give a relative sense of its location, the West Lead Cemetery is a large cemetery that is located outside and to the west of Lead (SD).
- Jump to Find-A-Grave: FG ID #1967595 <2>
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.<3>
While we didn't find Willow Springs in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Willow Springs.
These communities are listed based on their distance from Willow Springs, with the one closest to Willow Springs listed first.
- Sundance
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
- Carbonate ‑ Historic
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast)
- Carbonate is located in Lawrence County (SD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Carbonate
- Beulah
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
- Englewood
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)
- Englewood is located in Lawrence County (SD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Englewood
- Estimated population in 2014: 25 people
- Lead
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Lead is located in Lawrence County (SD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lead
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,947 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lead <1>
- Terraville
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Terraville is located in Lawrence County (SD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Terraville
- Central City
(18 miles [29 km] to the east)
- Central City is located in Lawrence County (SD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Central City
- Population from the 2020 Census: 155 people
- Spearfish
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
- Woodville
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
- Woodville is located in Lawrence County (SD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Woodville
- Pluma
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Pluma is located in Lawrence County (SD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pluma
- Deadwood
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the east)
- Nahant
(21 miles [33.8 km] to the southeast)
- Nahant is located in Lawrence County (SD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nahant
- Continue List (13 more) ...
- Gregory ‑ Historic
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the southeast)
- Gregory is located in Lawrence County (SD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Gregory
- Estimated population in 2014: 1,264 people
- Brownsville ‑ Historic
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
- Brownsville is located in Lawrence County (SD)
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brownsville
- Linden
(22 miles [35.4 km] to the west)
- Linden is located in Crook County
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Linden
We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Willow Springs. See our List of 1890's Communities around Willow Springs.
Newspapers Published in Willow Springs ...
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 57 newspapers that have been published in the area around Willow Springs.
Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Willow Springs, there are papers which were published within 28 miles [45.1 km]<4>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Willow Springs.
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 professional and volunteer 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 Willow Springs:
- Websites specific to Wyoming
- Pages specific to Crook County
- Genealogy information for nearby counties
- Weston County
- Butte County
- Lawrence County
- Pennington County
- Cemetery Information and Directories for Wyoming
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 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. |
| <3> | 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 Willow Springs, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy. |
| <4> | Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a '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- Willow Springs) to Point B. In other words: 'As the crow flies'. |