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History · Cass Lake

Cass Lake dates to 1898, and 26% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listing is the Supervisor's Office Headquarters. Below: 7 old photos and papers, maps from 1900 on, and the census since 1900.

1898founded
1on the National Register
26%homes built before 1940
7old photos & papers
5famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Cass Lake’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Cass Lake began

When was Cass Lake founded?

1898

Cass Lake dates its founding to 1898 (Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history agree). The census first counted it in 1900.

First census: 546 in 19002020 census: 675128 years
Founding year: Wikidata; Wikipedia’s history section gives the same year. First post office: 1899.The full story ↓

What stands out about Cass Lake’s past

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

Boom and bustPeaked at 2,109 in 1920; 675 people lived here in 2020.Mapped building by building5 fire insurance maps, 1900 to 1922, drew every building in Cass Lake.
★ What stands out · People over time

Cass Lake, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0001900192019401960198020002020Peak: 2,109

Peaked at 2,109 in 1920; 675 people lived here in 2020.

13 censuses, 1900–2020.

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

Every building

Cass Lake, building by building, 1900–1922

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.

Cass Lake fire insurance map, 1900, sheet 11900Sheet 1 of 4
Edition
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

The story

How Cass Lake came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Cass Lake.

Read it all →

The area was inhabited for thousands of years by succeeding cultures of indigenous peoples. In historic times, the Ojibwe/Chippewa moved west and south from the Great Lakes region, settling across present-day Minnesota.

The village was established in 1898 with the construction of the Great North Railway. The post office was originally established as 'Tuller' in December 1898, named after the brother-in-law of the first postmaster. When this was known, residents quickly lodged protests with the Postmaster General and by the end of March 1899, it was renamed 'Cass Lake'.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Cass Lake, 1898 to 1998

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1898
    FoundingCass Lake is established
  3. 1899Post officeThe Cass Lake post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1900In the archivepostcard, photographic print
  6. 1902Born hereArchie Marshek is born here
  7. 1919In the archiveJohn Smith, a full-blooded Indian of Cass Lake, Minnesota, though too old to fight during…
  8. 1920CensusPopulation peaks at 2,109
  9. 1924Born hereDouglas Pike is born here
  10. 1940In the archiveIndian - Minnesota
  11. 1944Born hereErma Vizenor is born here
  12. 1948Born hereSkip Finn is born here
  13. 1953In the archivePhotograph of Supervisor's Building at
  14. 1972On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  15. 1998In the archiveSTS091-731-079 - STS-091 - Earth observations taken from orbiter Discovery during STS-91 …
By decade

Cass Lake, decade by decade

5 decades in the archive, from the 1900s to the 1990s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1900s–1950s5 items
postcard, photographic print1900spostcard, photographic printPostcardJohn Smith, a full-blooded Indian of Cass Lake, Minnesota, though too old to fight during the Civil War is now a Red Cr…1919John Smith, a full-blooded Indian of Cass Lake, Minne…Indian - Minnesota1940Indian - MinnesotaChippewa National Forest - Social - 71945Chippewa National Forest - Social - 7Photograph of Supervisor's Building at1953Photograph of Supervisor's Building at
1960s–1980snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
1990s1 item
STS091-731-079 - STS-091 - Earth observations taken from orbiter Discovery during STS-91 mission1998STS091-731-079 - STS-091 - Earth observations taken f…
Date unknown1 to date
Cass Lake BankDate?Cass Lake Bank
Today17 recent
Cass Lake MN (2025-03-22-17-06-29 UMBRA-08)2025Cass Lake MN (2025-03-22-17-06-29 UMBRA-08)Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe-05-Tribal Justice Center entrance2023Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe-05-Tribal Justice Center en…Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe-01-Government Administration Building-horz2023Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe-01-Government Administratio…Cass Lake, Minnesota-11 Community Garden2023Cass Lake, Minnesota-11 Community GardenCass Lake, Minnesota-102023Cass Lake, Minnesota-10Cass Lake, Minnesota-092023Cass Lake, Minnesota-09Cass Lake, Minnesota-08 Cass Lake Times2023Cass Lake, Minnesota-08 Cass Lake TimesCass Lake, Minnesota-072023Cass Lake, Minnesota-07Cass Lake, Minnesota-062023Cass Lake, Minnesota-06Cass Lake, Minnesota-052023Cass Lake, Minnesota-05Cass Lake, Minnesota-04 -Armory2023Cass Lake, Minnesota-04 -ArmoryCass Lake, Minnesota-03 Armory2023Cass Lake, Minnesota-03 ArmoryCass Lake, Minnesota-02 Post Office2023Cass Lake, Minnesota-02 Post OfficeCass Lake, Minnesota-01 Municipal Center2023Cass Lake, Minnesota-01 Municipal CenterAmerican white pelican - Chippewa National Forest 022017American white pelican - Chippewa National Forest 02American white pelican - Chippewa National Forest 012017American white pelican - Chippewa National Forest 012014 Capitol Christmas Tree Harvesting20142014 Capitol Christmas Tree Harvesting
On the map

Cass Lake on the map in 1972

The U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Cass Lake.

Cass Lake on the 1972 USGS map1972Cass Lake sheet · 1:24,000

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

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

postcard, photographic print
Retake this viewpostcard, photographic print, 1900s

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Cass Lake’s page.

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

1 historic place in Cass Lake

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
1
each building in a district counts
first listed
1976
Supervisor's Office Headquarters
Supervisor's Office Headquarters
Buildings
Supervisor's Office HeadquartersBuilding

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Famous people

5 famous people were born in Cass Lake

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Archie MarshekAmerican film editor · b. 1902
D
Douglas PikeAmerican diplomat and historian · b. 1924
Skip FinnAmerican state senator · b. 1948
E
Erma VizenorOjibwe politician and educator · b. 1944
D
Donald D. LundriganAmerican politician – Minnesota -- "Don" House … · b. 1910
Help out

Finish Cass Lake’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
5 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo1 archive item has no date. Guess the decade.+2Retake an old viewpostcard, photographic print: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Questions about Cass Lake’s history

What year was Cass Lake founded?

In 1898, according to Wikidata and Wikipedia’s history of the town. Cass Lake’s post office opened in 1899, and the census of 1900 counted 546 people here.

What is on the National Register in Cass Lake?

One place: the Supervisor's Office Headquarters (listed 1976).

Memory lane

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

Town Square →
Start a conversation
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 Wikimedia Commons (23), the Library of Congress (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.