The lake was named by Oliver C. Applegate in 1870, while he was building a road around its perimeter.[3] Applegate also built a cabin at the south end of the lake that year.[3] A post office named Lake of the Woods was established at the north end of the lake in 1930, but it only ran until 1931.[3] Efforts were made to establish the form "Lake O' Woods" in the late 1930s, and a post office with that name was established in 1941 that ran intermittently until 1965.[3] In 1961, the United States Board on Geographic Names ruled to return to the original name for the lake and the community.[3] A post office was reestablished in 1970 with the name "Lake of the Woods"; it closed for good 1977.[3]