Crystal Lake, Illinois

Crystal Lake is a city located in McHenry County, Illinois. It is named after Crystal Lake, a small lake southwest of the town. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 38,000. Crystal Lake has a small bit of fame for being the city where the tradition of giving gold coins to the Salvation Army anonymously began in the early 1980s. The city is also home to the Crystal Lake Community Band.

History

Founding

The City of Crystal Lake traces its origins to two separate communities which were established in the 1800?s. Those communities were generally known as Nunda and Crystal Lake.

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In 1835, Ziba S. Beardsley had come to the shores of the lake and commented that the ?waters were as clear as crystal,? thereby giving the lake its name. Ziba Beardsley continued south to Naperville and missed the opportunity for fame as this city?s founder. In February, 1836 the first white settlers, Beman and Polly Crandall and six of their ten children, came from New York State and traveled to Crystal Lake in a covered wagon. The family lived in the covered wagon for a time until a log cabin could be built. Their original cabin was built in the vicinity of today's intersection of Virginia Street and Van Buren Street. Four of the Crandall children were born here.

Related Topics:
Naperville - New York State - Covered wagon - Log cabin

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Najah Beardsley?s family was the second to settle here. His grandson, William Beardsley, was the first white child born on the Crystal Lake prairie (May 7, 1837).

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The town was first known as Crystal Ville, but sometime before 1840, it was changed to Crystal Lake.

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The area known today as ?Downtown Crystal Lake? was first called ?Dearborn? and then ?Nunda.? The village of Dearborn came into existence in the mid 1850?s after the railroads extended their lines through the area. In 1856, the first train depot was established. This depot was pre-fabricated and shipped from Chicago, Illinois on a flatcar. Although the depot was located near Dearborn, it was called the Crystal Lake Station.

Related Topics:
Chicago, Illinois - Flatcar

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At that time, the main business district for the village of Crystal Lake was located on Virginia Street about one mile southwest of the railroad station. The railroad served to connect the people and industries of both Crystal Lake and Dearborn to Chicago and the rest of the county. Because of its close proximity to the railroad, Dearborn?s population and business district quickly grew.

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On October 7, 1868, Dearborn?s name was changed to ?Nunda? after an area in New York from which many settlers had come. The village of Nunda was platted in 1868 by local surveyor, John Brink. The village included the area now generally bounded by Route 176 on the north, Crystal Lake Avenue on the south, Main Street on the east, and Walkup Avenue on the west. Much of the land was originally owned by Daniel Ellsworth and Simon S. Gates.

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The villages of Crystal Lake and Nunda were each incorporated in 1874. In 1908, the name of the village of Nunda was changed to ?North Crystal Lake.? Several attempts were made to consolidate the two villages. Finally, after much disagreement, the village of North Crystal Lake was annexed to the Village of Crystal Lake in 1914, and a new city form of government was established.

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The Dole Family

Back in the 1860's, when the town of Crystal Lake was about 25 years old, Charles S. Dole purchased over 1,000 acres of land overlooking the lake. It was his dream to construct an elaborate estate that would reflect his position as a successful businessman. He was an early member of the Chicago Board of Trade, being associated with Armour, Dole and Company in Chicago.

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To carry out his plan, he built a three-story mansion with adjoining gardens and stables. European craftsmen were imported to lay parquet floors, fashion archways and carve interior wood work from black walnut trees grown on the property. As a final touch, he brought in Italian artisans to build several marble fireplaces. According to Mr. Dole's obituary, construction costs exceeded $100,000, an enormous amount of money in those days.

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The estate was known as Lakeland Farm. Mr. Dole lived there with his wife Julia, his mother-in-law, Mrs. Harriet Coffin, his two daughters, Mary Florence, Harriet (Hattie), and son Sydney. Dole maintained the estate for over 30 years, entertaining lavishly. As an example, for his daughter's wedding in 1883 he built a spur line from the Chicago and Northwestern railway tracks almost to his doorstep. A canopied and carpeted walkway extended 750 feet from the front door to the train enabling the guests to walk to the mansion for the ceremony and return to the train without concern for the weather. Notable wedding guests included Julian Rumsey (mayor of Chicago and Dole's first cousin) and Levi Leiter (first partner with Marshall Field).

Related Topics:
Julian Rumsey - Levi Leiter - Marshall Field

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Mr. Dole's interests changed throughout the years. He laid out a half-mile racetrack on his property and purchased the finest horses that money could buy, soon accumulating a string of horses that was the envy of northern Illinois. It is said that Mr. Dole loved to go up in his tower (currently closed off) and watch his horses run. When tired of the fad of his stable, he disposed of his beautiful and valuable horses, holding an elaborate sale.

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The Dole's lived in the mansion until the late 1890's when the property was sold.

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During the early 1900's, the property was owned and operated by several different ice companies. Ice was harvested from Crystal Lake and shipped by rail to nearby Chicago. The advent of refrigeration brought about the decline of the ice business.

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After laying vacant for several years, the property was sold in 1922 to the Lake Development Company.

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Eliza Ringling

Ringling Road is an east-west road which curves from Country Club Road back up to Lake Avenue. There are less than one dozen houses that claim a Ringling Road address; but those houses range from a small, stone cottage to large, imposing mansions.

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It is no mistake that Ringling Road provides the northern boundary for the Dole Mansion property. The road was named after Eliza ?Lou? Ringling, who was instrumental in turning the Dole Mansion into the Crystal Lake Country Club in 1922. Mrs. Ringling, and her group of investors, created the Lake Development Company, which subdivided much of the large Dole estate into what is known as the Country Club Additions subdivision. Eliza ?Lou? Ringling was the widow of the oldest Ringling Brother, of circus fame.

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In 1922, Mrs. Ringling and a group of investors, known as the Lake Development Company, purchased the Dole Mansion property (then known as the ?Consumers Farm?). The transaction involved nearly a half million dollars and was one of the largest real restate deals handled in the area. Under Mrs. Ringling's, guidance, the Dole Mansion was completely renovated and became home to the Crystal Lake Country Club.

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