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History · Chain O' Lakes

Half of Chain O' Lakes’ homes were built after 1977

Most of Chain O' Lakes was built recently: 10% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1977. Below: maps from 1969 on.

0on the National Register
10%homes built before 1940
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What stands out about Chain O' 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 Chain O' Lakes are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
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Start Chain O' Lakes’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Chain O' Lakes’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

Chain O' Lakes, in brief

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

Chain O' Lakes is a census-designated place in the towns of Farmington and Dayton, Waupaca County, Wisconsin, United States. As of the 2020 census, Chain O' Lakes had a population of 1,124. Before 2010, it was part of the Chain O' Lakes-King CDP. It consists of twenty-two lakes connected by channels, natural openings, and creeks. In the Menominee language, the chain of lakes are called Sīsepikamiw. This name literally means "Sprawling water, like an animal basking in the sun".

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 981 to 1,124 (+15%).

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.

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On the map

Chain O' Lakes on the map, 1969 to 1985

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

Chain O' Lakes on the 1969 USGS mapChain O' Lakes on the 1985 USGS map1969King 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 Chain O' Lakes.

Famous people

Famous people close to Chain O' Lakes

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

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H
Henry Solomon WellcomeAnglo-American businessman · b. 1853
E
Everett C. OlsonU.S. paleontologist, zoologist, and geologist · b. 1910
Tyler BiadaszAmerican football player · b. 1997
Edward E. BrowneU.S. Representative from Wisconsin · b. 1868
Lyman E. BarnesAmerican politician · b. 1855
Benjamin P. BirdsallAmerican politician · b. 1858
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

King4 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townFarmington4 historic placesAWaupaca14 historic placesA

Questions about Chain O' Lakes’ history

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

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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. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.