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History · Washington Lake Township

43% of Washington Lake Township’s homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1957 on.

0on the National Register
43%homes built before 1940
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What stands out about Washington 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 Washington Lake Township are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Washington Lake Township’s homes were built before 1961.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Washington Lake Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Washington 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

Washington Lake Township, in brief

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

Washington Lake Township is a township in Sibley County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 506 at the 2000 census. Washington Lake Township was organized in 1858, and named after Washington Lake.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 498 to 454 (-9%).

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

Washington Lake Township on the map, 1957 to 1981

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

Washington Lake Township on the 1957 USGS mapWashington Lake Township on the 1981 USGS map1957Belle Plaine sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Washington Lake Township.

Famous people

Famous people close to Washington Lake Township

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

See all →
Beth RiesgrafAmerican actress · b. 1978
A
August DvorakAmerican scientist · b. 1894
Carol Molnau46th Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota · b. 1949
Gwen WalzAmerican educator · b. 1966
Bob StinsonAmerican guitarist · b. 1959
Don HerbertAmerican television host · b. 1917
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
Assumption
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Washington Lake Township
AssumptionSaint Pauls

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.

Green IsleIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townJessenland Township1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townFaxon TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townYoung America TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townGreen Isle TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Washington 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.