Excerpt from The Heritage of Blue Earth County by Julie Schrader, Topic 114, available in the Research & Genealogy Center.

“So far as the name “Madison Lake” is concerned in its application as the name of the town, to Lewis Fitcher and Margaret his wife belong the credit of choosing it. They are to be congratulated upon having founded and christened the brightest, liveliest and most up-to-date little city in Southern Minnesota. (Note: This is not so. Governors surveyors named the lakes in this vicinity after presidents – Lake Washington, Jefferson and Madison. German Lake was named after the influx of German settlers. Eagle Lake because of a nest of Eagles on the island. – Ted Roemer)

“The land that they platted comprised the north seventy-five acres of the tract purchased by Roger Wells by the Barclays. The entire business portion of the town and most of the residences are built upon this plat and the building in which this meeting is held is within its borders.

“The deed to this land sold to Mr. Fitcher, was filed for record Feb. 1, 1883, about fifteen months after it came into the possession of the Barclays. The plat of Madison Lake townsite was filed with its dedication of the record in the register of deeds office in Mankato on Jan. 17, 1885. The plat of Barclay’s first addition was filed March 16, 1885 and that of Barclay’s second edition, June 15, 1887. G. W. Allyn’s addition, which lies upon part of the same government description, was filed April 22, 1889.”