The earliest record of settlers in the Ham Lake area goes back to 1855, and in 1856, the settlers established a town located just south and west of a lake shaped like a ham. The settlers platted and sold lots for a community they named "Glen Carey", a Scottish name meaning "beautiful valley". The location was widely advertised as a future city. However, in 1857, all of the houses were destroyed by a prairie fire. Some of the inhabitants barely escaped with their lives saving only a very few household goods. The settlers soon left the area as they had nowhere to live.