Madison Lake, Minnesota
human settlement in Blue Earth County, Minnesota, United States of America
Madison Lake is a small city in Blue Earth County, Minnesota, United States. The city takes its name from nearby Madison Lake, and is located adjacent to the northwest shore of the lake. The population was 1,247 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Mankato, MN Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
The area that is now Madison Lake was originally called Barclay's addition. In 1881, this land was deeded to L.S. Barclay for the town and was shortly thereafter named Madison Lake. A post office called Madison Lake has been in operation since 1885. The town took its name from nearby Madison Lake, which was named for President James Madison. The Village was incorporated in 1892.
The Wisconsin, Minnesota and Pacific Railroad built westward from Red Wing, Minnesota, reaching Madison Lake by 1884 at a distance 78.4 miles.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Madison Lake, Minnesota” as human settlement in Blue Earth County, Minnesota, United States of America. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the places & architecture register because the source frames it as human settlement in Blue Earth County, Minnesota, United States of America. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
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 Sep 6, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1819561. VIAF identifies the subject as 159551751. The Library of Congress control number is n88129817. Authority coordinates are 44.204, -93.816. 1 of 4 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2020, 1881, 1885 and 1892.
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 “Madison Lake, Minnesota”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Madison Lake, Minnesota primary sources, Madison Lake, Minnesota archive and Madison 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 “Madison 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 “Madison 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.