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–Not graded
History · The Lakes

14% of The Lakes’ homes were built before 1940

2 places in town are on the National Register. Below: maps from 1967 on and the census since 2000.

2on the National Register
14%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory

What stands out about The Lakes’ 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 The Lakes are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start The Lakes’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how The Lakes’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
The story so far

The Lakes, in brief

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

The Lakes is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Murray County, Minnesota, United States located north of Currie and south of Garvin. The population was 590 at the 2020 census. The community is centered about Lake Shetek, the largest lake in southwestern Minnesota. The lake and the community are located in parts of four townships in Murray County: Lake Sarah, Shetek, Murray, and Mason.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 667 to 590 (-12%).

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

The Lakes on the map, 1967 to 1986

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

The Lakes on the 1967 USGS mapThe Lakes on the 1986 USGS map1967Currie 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 The Lakes.

On the National Register

2 listings protect 10 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
10
each building in a district counts

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

People over time

The Lakes, census by census

010020030040050060070020002020Peak: 667

Between 590 and 667 people in every census since 2000.

3 censuses, 2000–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on The Lakes’ Wikipedia page.

Famous people

Famous people close to The Lakes

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

See all →
Vin WeberAmerican politician · b. 1952
Leo K. ThorsnessUS Air Force officer and Medal of Honor recipie… · b. 1932
T
Trevor WinterAmerican basketball player · b. 1974
Jim VickermanAmerican politician · b. 1931
Alan RoachAmerican sports announcer · b. 1966
Barney GoltzAmerican politician · b. 1924
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Shetek TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townLake Sarah TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about The Lakes’ history

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 U.S. Geological Survey historical maps and U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.