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–Not graded
History · Lake Madison

Half of Lake Madison’s homes were built after 1988

Most of Lake Madison was built recently: 2% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1988.

0on the National Register
2%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory

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

Start Lake Madison’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Lake Madison’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

Lake Madison, in brief

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

Lake Madison is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Lake County, South Dakota, United States. Its population was 829 as of the 2020 census. The community is located on the shores of Lake Madison. Lake Madison provides many activities including camping, boating, and fishing. While fishing, you can expect to catch walleye, perch, white bass, crappie, smallmouth bass, and northern pike.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 683 to 829 (+21%).

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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Famous people

Famous people close to Lake Madison

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

See all →
C
Charles JacobsAmerican pole vaulter · b. 1886
C
Charles McCallisterAmerican water polo player · b. 1903
Mary HartAmerican journalist and television personality · b. 1950
Eugene Luther VidalAmerican commercial aviation pioneer and Olympi… · b. 1895
Richard Barrett LoweEducator and governor of American Samoa and Guam · b. 1902
D
Donald James PorterUnited States federal judge · b. 1921
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Wentworth TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townLake View TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townChester TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Lake Madison’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 →