Excerpt from The Heritage of Blue Earth County by Julie Schrader, Topic 91, available in the Research & Genealogy Center.

“It wasn’t long before Hunt and Robinson reached the banks of the first of three lakes, now known as Loon Lake. They circled the lake and came upon the second, now known as Crystal Lake. They found that these two lakes were connected by a small creek which cut through a narrow strip of land about two hundred yards wide. Marveling at the beauty around them, they came upon the third lake, which is called Lily Lake. This lake was also separated from the second by a few yards of land. This truly was the land for which they had been searching.

“Mr. Hunt and Mr. Robinson both took claims on the south shore of Crystal and Lily Lakes in Section five in Garden City Township and in Section 32 in Judson Township, where now stands Lake Crystal. Each took a strip of land one mile long and half a mile wide. What is now Main Street was the dividing fence between the two properties; Mr. Hunt on the west and Mr. Robinson on the east. The deeds to these claims were both signed by President James Buchanan.

“Meanwhile, the good word had been received by their waiting families and they packed their belongings, said good-bye to their friends and neighbors, and started on their journey to their new homes. The Thornes, who were newlyweds, had persuaded the Webbs to sell their claims in Iowa and join them. The Robinson and Hunt families had met Wisconsin and planned to meet in LaCrosse to continue the journey together. They didn’t expect the journey to take more than ten days, but since all the marshes and creeks were full of water and every river a raging torrent, it was nearly six weeks before they arrived here.”