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–Not graded
History · Chief Lake

Half of Chief Lake’s homes were built after 1989

Most of Chief Lake was built recently: 7% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1989.

0on the National Register
7%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory

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

Start Chief Lake’s collection

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

Chief Lake, in brief

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

Chief Lake is a census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Hayward, Sawyer County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 582 at the 2020 census.

Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 583 in 2010, 582 in 2020.

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 Chief Lake

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

See all →
Sean DuffyAmerican politician, former sports commentator … · b. 1971
Lou ConterAmerican Navy Lieutenant commander · b. 1921
D
Dan PlanteAmerican ice hockey player · b. 1971
J. R. SalzmanRecipient of the Purple Heart medal · b. 1979
Ed CannadayAmerican politician · b. 1940
W
William W. McCutcheonAmerican politician from Minnesota · b. 1926
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Little Round LakeIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townReserveIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townHaywardIts storyCCouderayIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townNew PostIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townBass LakeIts storyCHunterIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Chief Lake’s 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 →