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History · Eastlake

Eastlake’s post office opened in 1883, and 28% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1958 on and the census since 1890.

1883first post office
0on the National Register
28%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Eastlake began

When was Eastlake founded?

1883

The Eastlake post office opened in 1883, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 1,856 in 18902020 census: 415143 years
Founding year: the first Eastlake post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Eastlake’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Eastlake are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Eastlake’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Eastlake’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story so far

Eastlake, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Eastlake yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Eastlake is a village in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 415 at the 2020 census. Located within Manistee County, the village sits across Manistee Lake from the city of Manistee. Eastlake was incorporated as a village in 1912.

Its first post office opened in 1883. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 512 to 415 (-19%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
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On the map

Eastlake on the map, 1958 to 1982

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Eastlake. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Eastlake on the 1958 USGS mapEastlake on the 1982 USGS map1958Manistee sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Eastlake.

People over time

Eastlake, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,856

Between 376 and 1,856 people in every census since 1890.

12 censuses, 1890–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Eastlake’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

Famous people close to Eastlake

Nobody well known was born in Eastlake itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Fred Warren GreenAmerican politician, Governor of Michigan · b. 1871
T
Tom ShermanCanadian artist · b. 1947
Warren Antoine CartierAmerican mayor · b. 1866
Dave CampbellAmerican baseball player · b. 1942
G
George AndreeAmerican football coach · b. 1879
Jack LundbomAmerican baseball player · b. 1877
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Manistee Township1 historic placeA−Manistee10 historic placesA+Stronach Township1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Eastlake’s history

What year was Eastlake founded?

The Eastlake post office opened in 1883, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From U.S. Geological Survey historical maps and U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.