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History · Willow Lake

Willow Lake’s post office opened in 1882, and 43% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listing is the Security State Bank.

1882first post office
1on the National Register
43%homes built before 1940
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Willow Lake began

When was Willow Lake founded?

1882

The Willow Lake post office opened in 1882, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 255144 years
Founding year: the first Willow Lake post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

What stands out about Willow Lake’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 Willow Lake are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Old housesHalf of Willow Lake’s homes were built before 1949.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Willow Lake’s collection

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

Willow Lake, in brief

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

Willow Lake is a city in Clark County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 255 at the 2020 census. The city took its name from Willow Lake, a natural lake near the town site.

Its first post office opened in 1882. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 263 to 255 (-3%).

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

Timeline

Willow Lake, 1882 to 1909

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1882Post officeThe Willow Lake post office opens
  3. 1888Born hereZay Jeffries is born here
  4. 1898Born hereClarence Gonstead is born here
  5. 20th century
  6. 1909BuiltSecurity State Bank is built
By decade

Willow Lake, decade by decade

Today1 recent
SDMap-doton-WillowLake2004SDMap-doton-WillowLake
On the National Register

1 historic place in Willow Lake

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

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
1
each building in a district counts
first listed
2002
Security State Bank
Security State Bank, built 1909
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Commercial Style1
All 1 listings
Security State BankBuilding · listed 2002

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

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Willow Lake

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
C
Clarence GonsteadChiropractor · b. 1898
Z
Zay JeffriesAmerican engineer and metallurgist · b. 1888
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Collins TownshipIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townLake Township3 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Willow Lake’s history

What year was Willow Lake founded?

The Willow Lake post office opened in 1882, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

What is on the National Register in Willow Lake?

One place: the Security State Bank (listed 2002).

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 Wikimedia Commons (1), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) 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.