HR1260 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1260 LRB098 22154 GRL 61029 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to extend hearty congratulations to the citizens of the City of Crystal Lake in McHenry County on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the signing of the City's charter; and

WHEREAS, The City of Crystal Lake is located 50 miles northwest of Chicago; it is currently McHenry County's largest municipality; and

WHEREAS, Crystal Lake's origins can be traced to 2 separate communities, Crystal Lake and Nunda, both of which were established in the 1800s; and

WHEREAS, In 1836, Beman and Polly Tuttle Crandall and 6 children traveled from New York to Crystal Lake in a covered wagon; they eventually built a log cabin in the vicinity of what is today the intersection of Virginia Street and Van Buren Street; they soon discovered a sparkling clear lake, tall timber, and vast prairies; and

WHEREAS, By August of 1836, the United States government granted homestead rights to the Crandalls; in May of 1837, Hajah Beardsley's family was the second to settle in Crystal Lake; the town was first known as Crystal Ville, but prior to 1840 it was changed to Crystal Lake; and

WHEREAS, The Village of Crystal Lake was platted in 1840 by Beman Crandall, Christopher Walkup, and Abner Beardsley; the village had the boundaries of Virginia Street to the north, Lake Avenue to the south, McHenry Avenue to the east, and Dole Avenue to the west; an old trail, forged by the Sac and Fox tribes, extended from Fort Dearborn in Chicago to northwest Wisconsin, with the portion through Crystal Lake known as today's Route 14; and

WHEREAS, The Village of Nunda was established in 1855 with the Chicago, St. Paul, and Fond du Lac railroad, the first direct rail connection from Chicago; the Village was platted later that year by local surveyor John Brink; and

WHEREAS, In 1856, a rail spur line, which today is known as Dole Avenue, was built from the Village of Nunda to Crystal Lake to transport ice cut from the lake to Chicago and to bring visitors from Chicago to the area; and

WHEREAS, 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; and

WHEREAS, The Village's first public library opened in 1913 with a small collection of books and magazines; today, that library circulates more than one million items each year; and

WHEREAS, After several attempts to consolidate the 2 villages failed, on April 28, 1914, the Village of North Crystal Lake was finally annexed into the Village of Crystal Lake; a City form of government was established at that time; on September 23, 1914, the City of Crystal Lake Charter was adopted; and

WHEREAS, The City of Crystal Lake's first mayor was Mayor William Pinnow, who served from 1914 to 1917; a total of 16 mayors have presided over the City since that time; and

WHEREAS, In 1914, there was one public high school and one public grade school in Crystal Lake; today, the community's children attend 2 of the very best public school systems in the region - Elementary School District 47 and Community High School District 155; and

WHEREAS, In the 1920s, an aggressive street paving program took place under Mayors Ben Raue and Fred Mathis; the Crystal Lake Park District was created in 1921 out of community concern that public access to the lake and beach would be lost to private ownership; today, residents enjoy more than 1,600 acres of parks and open space, as well as the 230-acre Crystal Lake for summertime fishing, boating, swimming, and wintertime ice fishing and skating; and

WHEREAS, In 1929, the El Tovar Theatre was built; this theatre was eventually renovated to become today's Raue Center for the Arts; and

WHEREAS, In 1936, the City celebrated 100 years since the first settlers arrived in Crystal Lake; the celebration included a Centennial queen and court, a large parade, antique displays, and a pageant; and

WHEREAS, Mining for gravel began in the 1950s, amidst much controversy; an agreement was eventually reached where the land would be deeded to the City once the gravel operations ceased; this land was ultimately developed into today's Three Oaks Recreation Area; and

WHEREAS, Hundreds of homes and 5 lives were lost on April 11, 1965, when a devastating tornado ripped through a highly populated area of town; the community joined together after the tornado to help neighbors and to rebuild; and

WHEREAS, Beginning in the 1970s, Crystal Lake experienced significant changes in both its residential and business population, with population growing from approximately 14,000 in the early 1970s to almost 41,000 in 2010; and

WHEREAS, The City of Crystal Lake's City Hall was located at the corner of Main and Beardsley Streets until a point in the 1900s, when a new Municipal Complex was built on Woodstock Street; a large addition to the Municipal Complex was completed in 2004; and

WHEREAS, In 2001, the Downtown City of Crystal Lake was a recipient of the Governor's Hometown Award for the revitalization of the downtown area; in 2012, the City once again received the Governor's Hometown Award, this time for improvements to the Three Oaks Recreational area; and

WHEREAS, Today, people continue to relocate to Crystal Lake in search of more open space, less traffic, more affordable land, and safer neighborhoods; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate the City of Crystal Lake on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the signing of the City's charter; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the City of Crystal Lake's City Council as an expression of our congratulations.