A question often asked around these parts is how did the Lake County Historical Society come to pass, and more specifically, why is it called by that name? It’s quite an interesting tale.

The name of our historical society comes from the early years of 1908 and 1909, as the plan to split Imperial Ward County into smaller county units was moving forward. At the time, the hope was to create a county called Lake County, of which Kenmare would be the county seat. However, after the ballots were collected, it was determined that there had been some fraudulent votes cast and Ward County was able to retain the coal rich Des Lacs Valley up to Kenmare and thus creating a shape what the locals refer to as "the gooseneck”, which is visible on a map showing the county lines of North Dakota.

Interested in preserving history and historical items, the Kenmare Association of Commerce spearheaded the formation of a Pioneer Committee to oversee a plan to create a museum in Kenmare. In early April of 1972, the plan was set in motion to create a Pioneer Village with funds from the Kenmare Diamond Jubilee fund. A purchase was authorized to obtain a parcel of land in northeast Kenmare in order to erect a structure that would become a museum. By November of that year, a metal building was erected on the property. Harris Construction was in the process of demolishing the old Kenmare School and donated the old high school entrance to be mounted to the front of the metal building, which is currently being used for storage. An organizational meeting was held in November 1972 under the auspices of the Kenmare Association of Commerce. Articles of Incorporation were filed for the Lake County Historical Society at Kenmare on April 16, 1973. And that is the story of the Lake County Historical Society!