Its Register listing is the Church of Sts. Joseph and Mary-Catholic. Its Register listing is the Church of Sts. Joseph and Mary-Catholic. Below: maps from 1954 on.
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Perch Lake Township is more historic than 62% of U.S. towns. All 2 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Perch Lake Township’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 Perch Lake Township’s 10.2 sits above most of its state (76% of Minnesota towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.4 points).
Founding year: our sources. 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 Perch Lake Township’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Perch Lake Township yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Perch Lake Township is a township in Carlton County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 977 as of the 2020 census. "Perch Lake" is probably an English translation of the Native American name for this township's namesake lake. Big Lake Road, Twin Lakes Drive, Ditchbank Road, Mission Road, and Cary Road are five of the main routes in the township. Perch Lake Township is located immediately west of the city of Cloquet. The community of Sawyer is located immediately south of the township. Perch Lake Township is located within the Fond du Lac Indian Reservation.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 1,046 to 977 (-7%).
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.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Perch Lake Township. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1954Sawyer 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 Perch Lake Township.
On the National Register
1 historic place in Perch Lake Township
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
Perch Lake Township is more historic than 62% 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.
What is on the National Register in Perch Lake Township?
One place: the Church of Sts. Joseph and Mary-Catholic (listed 1984).
How old are the homes in Perch Lake Township?
11% of Perch Lake Township’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.4 points), against a typical 8.1% for a Minnesota town; the median home was built in 1980.
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 the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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.
