City Tour of Ham Lake


The earliest record of settlers in Ham Lake dates back to 1855, when a group of men settled in the southern part of the area. A year later they started a town just southwest of the lake shaped like a ham. The town was named Glen Cary, a Scottish name meaning "beautiful valley." The original houses were burned in a prairie fire in 1857, and the settlers moved away.

Others soon came, though -- this time many Scandinavians who had a hard time pronouncing Glen Cary. Before too long, the name was changed to Ham Lake. It was organized as a township by the Anoka County Board of Commissioners in 1871.

In1880, the census found the population to be 253. In 1903, the first telephone service was available for $6 a year. In the late 1930's, the Rural Electrification provided power to the farm families...to have electric lights by turning a switch was a wonder.

In the beginning, there was no mail delivery, but it could be picked up in Anoka. One farmer picked up mail for others so often that his farm became the first post office. The mailing address bore the farmer's name of Jesperson, Minnesota. As recently as 1984, Ham Lake residents were served by four different post offices. In 1985 the U.S. Postal Service consolidated service to Ham Lake through the Anoka Post Office.

In the early 1920's there was no bus service and the closest railroad was at Cedar. Central Avenue (Highway 65) was only a wagon trail through a lot of swampland and sand. Through the years the road was widened, graded and graveled, and finally hard-surfaced. The additional lanes were added in 1954.

Ham Lake was incorporated as a City in January of 1974.


Ham Lake Links
City of Ham Lake
Anoka area Schools
Forest Lake area Schools
Ham Lake Chamber of Commerce