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History · Lake Wilson

Lake Wilson’s post office opened in 1883, and 39% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1967 on and the census since 1910.

1883first post office
0on the National Register
39%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: TheCatalyst31 · CC BY 4.0
Quick answers

How Lake Wilson began, and where its name came from

When was Lake Wilson founded?

1883

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

First census: 219 in 19102020 census: 254143 years

How did Lake Wilson get its name?

Lake Wilson was named by J. E. Wilson (a landowner in the area) who also named the nearby lake for himself.

Founding year: the first Lake Wilson post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓

What stands out about Lake Wilson’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 Lake Wilson are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 436 in 1960; 254 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Lake Wilson’s homes were built before 1952.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Lake Wilson’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Lake Wilson’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
People over time

Lake Wilson, census by census

0100200300400192019401960198020002020Peak: 436

Peaked at 436 in 1960; 254 people lived here in 2020.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

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

The story

How Lake Wilson came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Lake Wilson.

Read it all →

Lake Wilson was platted in 1883 and incorporated as a village on July 12, 1900. It was named by J. E. Wilson (a landowner in the area) who also named the nearby lake for himself.

On June 16, 1992, Lake Wilson was struck by a devastating F5 tornado that completely destroyed half of the town, which has since been rebuilt.

On January 12, 2004, the city's firehall exploded, destroying it and the nearby elevator. It also damaged many nearby houses and businesses. The blast was audible at 25 miles (40 km), and could be felt as far as 30 miles (48 km) away. The city estimated that recovery costs resulting from the explosion totaled about $4.2 million. Since then both the firehall and elevator have been rebuilt.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Lake Wilson, 1883 to 1967

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1883Post officeThe Lake Wilson post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1960CensusPopulation peaks at 436
  5. 1967On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
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

Lake Wilson on the map in 1967

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

Lake Wilson on the 1967 USGS map1967Chandler 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 Lake Wilson.

Famous people

Famous people close to Lake Wilson

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

See all →
Vin WeberAmerican politician · b. 1952
Todd BoumanAmerican football player · b. 1972
T
Trevor WinterAmerican basketball player · b. 1974
Alan RoachAmerican sports announcer · b. 1966
Bruce VogelAmerican politician · b. 1958
M
Mike JohnsonBaseball pitcher who played in Major League Bas… · b. 1951
Places that used to be

Places now gone

Gone or out of use
Lake Wilsonlocale

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). 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.

Chanarambie TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townLeeds TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Lake Wilson’s history

What year was Lake Wilson founded?

The Lake Wilson 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 →
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), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) 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.