Most of Maple Lake was built recently: 9% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1983. Below: 1 old photo or paper, maps from 1982 on, and the census since 1900.
Founding year: the first Maple Lake post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Maple Lake’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Maple Lake is more historic than 26% of U.S. towns. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.
C
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Maple Lake’s overall grade.
Minnesota towns list about as much on the Register as the country (a typical Minnesota town has 2.1 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Maple Lake’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (23% of Minnesota towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to C. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.6 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Maple Lake’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The area where Maple Lake now stands was long a quiet expanse of forest and water home to the Dakota and Ojibwe peoples. They hunted game in the woods and fished in the lake that later gave the town its name.
In the early 1800s, as the United States expanded westward, explorers like Zebulon Pike passed through the region, laying claim to vast territories. By the mid-1850s, the U.S. government had opened Wright County to settlers and the first pioneers arrived, drawn by the promise of fertile soil and abundant timber. Among them were Irish immigrants, many from County Clare.
Passages that mention Maple Lake, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Wright County, Minnesota volume II1915 · page 641Read the page →
Read the text
Maple Lake, The postoffice of Geneva was established in October, 1858, on the old townsite, which like the office, was first ealled Geneva and then Maple Lake. The townsite of Maple Lake was some two miles away from the present location of the village. For several years mail was supplied by the Monticello and Forest City mail route, E. B. MeCord, the first postmaster, served until 1865, when he resigned and the position was given to W.G. MeCrory, who had recently moved to a farm near the town-
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Wright County, Minnesota volume II1915 · page 753Read the page →
Read the text
extent had been entered for townsite purposes, but the site was later vacated and divided among the three town proprietors who then remained. Before the site was vacated its name was changed to Maple Lake. The present village of Maple Lake is about two miles away. The county commissioners ereated Maple Lake, April 6, 1858, and ordered that the first election should be held May 11, 1858.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Timeline
Maple Lake, 1858 to 1982
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
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.
The Maple Lake post office opened in 1858, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Maple Lake rank for history?
Maple Lake is more historic than 26% of U.S. towns. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
How old are the homes in Maple Lake?
9% of Maple Lake’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.6 points), against a typical 8.1% for a Minnesota town; the median home was built in 1983.
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).
From Wikimedia Commons (6), 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 old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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