The Territorial Legislature created the Town of Lake in January 1838, from Towns Five
and Six, Ranges Twenty-One and Twenty-Two East. With the Town of Milwaukee to its
North, it formed one of the two original divisions of Milwaukee County. Comprised of
36 square miles, the Town of Lake bordered Lake Michigan on the East, Town of
Milwaukee to the North, Waukesha County to the West and the Milwaukee County line on
the South. In 1839, the establishment of the Town of Kinnickinnic (later Greenfield)
reduced the Town of Lake to 27 square miles. In 1840, the southern third of the Town
of Lake became the Towns of Oak Creek and Franklin. During the 1920’s, the City of
Milwaukee annexation reduced the area of the Town of Lake further. In 1951, the
remainder of the Town was consolidated into the City of Milwaukee.
