The story
Read it all →How Gem Lake came to be
From Wikipedia’s history of Gem Lake.
Gem Lake was incorporated on June 30, 1959, out of White Bear Township.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
–Not graded
History · Gem Lake
Gem Lake dates to 1959, and 11% of its homes were built before 1940
Below: maps from 1902 on and the census since 1960.
1959founded
0on the National Register
11%homes built before 1940
Quick answers
How Gem Lake began
When was Gem Lake founded?
1959
Gem Lake dates its founding to 1959 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1960.
First census: 305 in 19602020 census: 52867 years
Founding year: Wikipedia.The full story ↓
What stands out about Gem Lake’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
★ What stands out · Help out
Start Gem Lake’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Gem Lake’s history is told.
Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.On the map
Gem Lake on the map, 1902 to 1993
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Gem Lake. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1902White Bear sheet · 1:62,500U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Gem Lake.
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.
Add from your albumPeople over time
Gem Lake, census by census
Between 216 and 528 people in every census since 1960.
7 censuses, 1960–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Gem Lake’s Wikipedia page.
Famous people
See all →Famous people close to Gem Lake
Nobody well known was born in Gem Lake itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.
L
Lindsey VonnAmerican alpine skier · b. 1984J
Josh HartnettAmerican actor and producer · b. 1978
A
Amy PetersonAmerican short track speed skater · b. 1971Stories next door
History across the town line
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
Questions about Gem Lake’s history
What year was Gem Lake founded?
In 1959, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. the census of 1960 counted 305 people here.
Memory lane
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
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 Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.