An industrial park in the area includes Juneau's Costco and The Home Depot stores, as well as the Alaskan Brewing Company.
A prospector by the name of John Lemon discovered gold in the creek in 1879 and established a placer mine claim that same year.
Logging, sawmill operations, and gravel mining were also part of the Lemon Creek area's early industries.
A sawmill was located on the site currently occupied by Costco until the 1940s and logging continued in the Lemon Creek area until the 1980s.
Gravel mining in the Lemon Creek area began during World War II and continues today.
Two of the first residents in the Lemon Creek area were homesteaders, Louie Lund and Charlie Switzer.