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History · Lake Township

Lake Township dates to 1914

Most of Lake Township was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1978. Below: 3 old photos and papers, maps from 1970 on, and the census since 1930.

1914founded
0on the National Register
3%homes built before 1940
3old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Lake Township’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Lake Township began

When was Lake Township founded?

1914

Lake Township dates its founding to 1914 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1930.

First census: 162 in 19302020 census: 242112 years
Founding year: Wikidata.

What stands out about 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 writtenOnly 3 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Lake Township’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Lake Township’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
2 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewFountain Artesian Well, at Lake Andes, …: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
The story so far

Lake Township, in brief

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

Lake City is a town in Marshall County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 45 at the 2020 census. Fort Sisseton Historic State Park, whose fort is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is located nearby. Lake City was laid out in 1914, and so named for the many lakes in the area.

Lake Township was established in 1914. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 173 to 242 (+40%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

Timeline

Lake Township, 1908 to 1970

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 20th century
  2. 1908In the archiveFountain Artesian Well, at Lake Andes, S. Dak
  3. 1910In the archiveMain St
  4. 1914
    FoundingLake Township is established
  5. 1970On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Lake Township, decade by decade

2 decades in the archive, from the 1900s to the 1910s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1900s–1910s3 items
Fountain Artesian Well, at Lake Andes, S. Dak1908Fountain Artesian Well, at Lake Andes, S. DakMain St1910Main StMain St1910Main St
1920s–1990snothing yet
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.
Add from your album
On the map

Lake Township on the map in 1970

The U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Lake Township.

Lake Township on the 1970 USGS map1970Lake City 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 Lake Township.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Fountain Artesian Well, at Lake Andes, S. Dak
Retake this viewFountain Artesian Well, at Lake Andes, S. Dak, 1908

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Lake Township’s page.

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Lake Township, census by census

010019401960198020002020Peak: 168

Between 43 and 168 people in every census since 1930.

10 censuses, 1930–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Lake Township’s Wikipedia page.

Places that used to be

Old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Clear Lake
Gone or out of use
Luffmanlocale
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Lake Township
Lake CitySaint Joseph

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.

Dumarce TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townEden TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townRed Iron Lake TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townHamilton TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Lake Township’s history

What year was Lake Township founded?

In 1914, according to Wikidata. the census of 1930 counted 162 people here.

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 the Library of Congress (3), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) 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.