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–Not graded
History · Tainter Lake

Half of Tainter Lake’s homes were built after 1986

Most of Tainter Lake was built recently: 5% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1986. Below: maps from 1940 on and the census since 1990.

0on the National Register
5%homes built before 1940
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What stands out about Tainter 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 Tainter Lake are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Tainter Lake’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Tainter 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

Tainter Lake, in brief

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

Tainter Lake is a census-designated place (CDP) in part of the Town of Tainter, Dunn County, Wisconsin, and part of the Town of Red Cedar, Dunn County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 2,550 at the 2020 census. Tainter Lake CDP is located along the shores of Tainter Lake, a reservoir on the Red Cedar River.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 2,242 to 2,550 (+14%).

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

Tainter Lake on the map, 1940 to 1972

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

Tainter Lake on the 1940 USGS mapTainter Lake on the 1972 USGS map1940Menomonie 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 Tainter Lake.

People over time

Tainter Lake, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,50020002020Peak: 2,550

Between 1,716 and 2,550 people in every census since 1990.

4 censuses, 1990–2020.

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

Famous people

Famous people close to Tainter Lake

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

See all →
Madilyn BaileyAmerican singer and songwriter · b. 1992
E
Ethan IversonAmerican pianist · b. 1973
Harry MillerRacecar driver · b. 1875
M
Marvin PanchAmerican racing driver · b. 1926
Andy PafkoBaseball player · b. 1921
B
Bill BakkeOlympic ski jumper · b. 1946
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

TainterIts storyC−ColfaxIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townShermanIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Tainter Lake’s history

Memory lane

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

Town Square →
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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 and U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.