Cass Lake, MN

Cass Lake is a city in Cass County, Minnesota, United States, located within the boundaries of the Leech Lake Indian Reservation. The 2020 census counted 675 residents. Cass Lake is surrounded by Pike Bay Township. Cass Lake is notable as the headquarters location of Minnesota Chippewa Tribe and Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, as well as the Chippewa National Forest. Tourism has been an increasingly important component of the local economy since the earliest days of the community. Due to the cold winters, tourism is highly seasonal. Cass Lake–Bena Elementary School is located within the city limits, while Cass Lake–Bena High School and Middle School are located approximately one mile south of town.

A newcomer can read Cass Lake through the overlap of its older landmarks, surrounding geography, and current places. For a newcomer, Cass Lake comes into focus through those concrete links among its past, landscape, and current routines. The city is located on the shore of its namesake Cass Lake, which was named in honor of Michigan Governor Lewis Cass. The area was inhabited for thousands of years by succeeding cultures of indigenous peoples. In historic times, the Ojibwe/Chippewa moved west and south from the Great Lakes region, settling across present-day Minnesota.