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History · Lakeland

Lakeland’s post office opened in 1878, and 12% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1965 on and old-book passages.

1878first post office
0on the National Register
12%homes built before 1940
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Quick answers

How Lakeland began

When was Lakeland founded?

1878

The Lakeland post office opened in 1878, the earliest record of the town by name.

2020 census: 938148 years
Founding year: the first Lakeland post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).

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

Start Lakeland’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Lakeland’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

Lakeland, in brief

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

Lakeland is a town in Barron County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 938 at the 2020 census, down from 975 at the 2010 census. The unincorporated community of Barronett is located in the town.

Its first post office opened in 1878. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 975 to 938 (-4%).

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

From the old history books

What they wrote about Lakeland in 1922

Passages that mention Lakeland, cut from the printed page as they were published.

created. The name of the original town of Dallas, as noted, was changed to Barron, the name of the original town of Lakeland was changed to Cumberland, and the name of the original town of Rice Lake was changed to Stanley, and the present towns of Dallas, Lakeland and Rice Lake were created later.
History of Barron County Wisconsin1922 · page 1051Read the page →
Read the text

created. The name of the original town of Dallas, as noted, was changed to Barron, the name of the original town of Lakeland was changed to Cumberland, and the name of the original town of Rice Lake was changed to Stanley, and the present towns of Dallas, Lakeland and Rice Lake were created later.

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
March the same year Almena was united with Turtle Lake into one township under the name of Turtle Lake. For some years after that there was no town of Lakeland. Then, on Nov. 10, 1901, a new town of Lake¬ land was created, consisting of the present townships of Lakeland and Maple Plain.
History of Barron County Wisconsin1922 · page 1089Read the page →
Read the text

March the same year Almena was united with Turtle Lake into one township under the name of Turtle Lake. For some years after that there was no town of Lakeland. Then, on Nov. 10, 1901, a new town of Lake¬ land was created, consisting of the present townships of Lakeland and Maple Plain.

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Timeline

Lakeland, 1878 to 1965

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1878Post officeThe Lakeland post office opens
  3. 1881Post officeThe Lakeland post office closes
  4. 1881Post officeThe Barronett post office opens
  5. 20th century
  6. 1965On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
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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On the map

Lakeland on the map, 1965 to 1982

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

Lakeland on the 1965 USGS mapLakeland on the 1982 USGS map1965Shell Lake sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Lakeland.

Famous people

Famous people close to Lakeland

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

See all →
Dick LaneAmerican actor and television announcer · b. 1899
Henry EllensonAmerican basketball player · b. 1997
J
John PetersonOlympic wrestler · b. 1948
John G. Blystone1892–1938; American film director · b. 1892
D
David HansonAmerican ice hockey player · b. 1954
Harold OlsenAmerican basketball player and coach · b. 1895
Places that used to be

Lost post offices and old corners

Lakeland had its own post office from 1878 to 1881.

Lakeland
1878–1881
Barronett
1881–today
18701950today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Barronett

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). 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.

Cumberland2 historic placesB+BarronettIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townBear LakeIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townMaple PlainIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townCumberlandIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Lakeland’s history

What year was Lakeland founded?

The Lakeland post office opened in 1878, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

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 U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.