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History · Island Lake Township

Half of Island Lake Township’s homes were built after 1981

Most of Island Lake Township was built recently: 10% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1981. Below: maps from 1969 on.

0on the National Register
10%homes built before 1940
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What stands out about Island Lake Township’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 Island Lake Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Island Lake Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Island Lake Township’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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The story so far

Island Lake Township, in brief

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

Island Lake Township is a township in Mahnomen County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 218 at the 2000 census. It contains the census-designated place of Pine Bend. Island Lake Township was named for a local lake noted for its large lake island.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 233 to 300 (+29%).

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

Island Lake Township on the map, 1969 to 1985

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

Island Lake Township on the 1969 USGS mapIsland Lake Township on the 1985 USGS map1969Ebro 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 Island Lake Township.

Famous people

Famous people close to Island Lake Township

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

See all →
Lily HansonAmerican comedian · b. 1983
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Steve KnutsonAmerican football player · b. 1951
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Shirley WinsleyAmerican politician · b. 1934
Places that used to be

Old corners and burying grounds

Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Pine Bend
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Island Lake Township
Pine BendSaint Agnes Catholic

Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Clover TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townColumbia TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townHeier TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townPine BendIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townFalk TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townPopple Township1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Island Lake Township’s history

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 the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.