Dora Lake, Minnesota
unincorporated community in Itasca County, Minnesota
Dora Lake is an unincorporated community in Kinghurst Township, Itasca County, Minnesota, United States; located within the Chippewa National Forest. The community is located near Wirt at the junction of Itasca County Roads 29 and 145.
Nearby places include Northome, Wirt, Max, and Alvwood. Dora Lake is located 20 miles southeast of Northome; and 22 miles west of Bigfork. Dora Lake is 24 miles east of Blackduck; and 41 miles northwest of Deer River.
ZIP codes 56661 (Northome), 56688 (Wirt), and 56659 (Max) all meet near Dora Lake. A post office previously operated in the community of Dora Lake, first as Popple (1905–1946), and then as Dora Lake (1946–1953), until its closing in 1953.
The Bowstring River is nearby.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Dora Lake, Minnesota” is unincorporated community in Itasca County, Minnesota. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Dora, Lake and Minnesota, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “unincorporated community in Itasca County, Minnesota” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Mar 31, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q14692590. Authority coordinates are 47.739, -94.040. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1905, 1946 and 1953.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Dora Lake, Minnesota”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Dora Lake, Minnesota primary sources, Dora Lake, Minnesota archive and Dora research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Dora Lake, Minnesota”?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Dora Lake, Minnesota” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.