Editing Lake Crystal, Minnesota (section)

===First arrivals===
In 1853, two families from small towns near [[Ithaca, New York]], left their homes and traveled west. One was 32-year-old William Riley Robinson. In June 1854 Robinson and his companion Lucius O. Hunt traveled from Wisconsin to Blue Earth County. Robinson and Hunt arrived and came upon the three nearby lakes, Loon, Crystal, and Lily, and marveled at their beauty. They returned for their families and headed back to settle in the Lake Crystal area. The families were joined by two other men and their families, Calvin Webb and Samuel Thorne. Robinson and his family settled in a log cabin on the south shore of Crystal Lake, a few feet south of where the Robinson House is today. Hunt and his family settled in a log cabin on the south shore of Lily Lake, where Holy Family Catholic Church is now. Each man took plots of land one mile long and half a mile wide (the dividing line being modern-day Main Street), the deeds to which were signed by President [[James Buchanan]]. Webb settled in the Judson Township, while Thorne took a claim on Crystal Lake. During the [[Dakota War of 1862]] the settlers escaped to the fort at [[Mankato, Minnesota|Mankato]]. Eventually the Dakota uprising was subdued and the settlers returned and rebuilt their homes. Hunt built a brick house in 1869 that was torn down in the mid-1900s, where Holy Family Catholic Church is today. Robinson built his brick house in 1870, which still stands as a historical building on Robinson Street.<ref name=":0" />