A canopied and carpeted walkway extended 750 feet (230 m) 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. 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. Dole maintained the estate for over 30 years, entertaining lavishly. Harriet Coffin, his two daughters, Mary Florence, Harriet (Hattie), and son, Sydney. Dole lived there with his wife Julia, his mother-in-law, Mrs. Dole's obituary, construction costs exceeded $100,000, an enormous amount of money in those days. As a final touch, he brought in Italian artisans to build several marble fireplaces. European craftsmen were imported to lay parquet floors, fashion archways and carve interior wood work from black walnut trees grown on the property. To carry out his plan, he built a three-story mansion with adjoining gardens and stables. He was an early member of the Chicago Board of Trade, being associated with Armour, Dole & Co. It was his dream to construct an elaborate estate that would reflect his position as a successful businessman. Dole purchased over 1,000 acres (4.0 km 2) of land overlooking the lake. Dole family īack in the 1860s, when the town of Crystal Lake was about 25 years old, Charles S. Several attempts were made to consolidate the two villages, and finally, after much disagreement, the village of North Crystal Lake was annexed to the Village of Crystal Lake in 1914, and a consolidated city government was established. In 1908, the name of the village of Nunda changed its name to North Crystal Lake. The villages of Crystal Lake and Nunda were both incorporated in 1874. Much of the land was originally owned by two early settlers, Daniel Ellsworth and Simon S. The village included the area now generally bounded by Illinois Route 176 on the north, Crystal Lake Avenue on the south, Main Street on the east, and Walkup Avenue on the west. The village was platted in 1868 by local surveyor, John Brink, after whom a downtown street is now named. On October 7, 1868, Dearborn's name was changed to Nunda. Dearborn grew quickly due to this new rail connection. The railroad served to connect both the people and industries of Crystal Lake and Dearborn to Chicago and the rest of the country. At that time, the main business district for the village of Crystal Lake was located on Virginia Street, about one mile (1.6 km) southwest of the railroad station. The first train station was built in 1856, although it was pre-fabricated and shipped from Chicago on a flatcar. The village of Dearborn was founded in the 1850s after an extension of railroads through the area. The area known today as downtown Crystal Lake was first called Dearborn and later, Nunda (pronounced locally as “Nun-day”), from an area in New York where many settlers originated. It was changed to Crystal Lake sometime before 1840. The town was first known as Crystal Ville. Najah Beardsley's family was the second to settle in the area his grandson, William Beardsley, was the first white child born on the Crystal Lake prairie, on May 7, 1837. Four of the Crandall children were born there. Their original cabin was built in the vicinity of today's intersection of Virginia Street and Van Buren Street. In February 1836, the first white settlers, Beman and Polly Crandall and six of their ten children, came from New York State traveling to Crystal Lake in a covered wagon. Ziba Beardsley continued south to Naperville. 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. Those communities were generally known as Nunda and Crystal Lake. The City of Crystal Lake traces its origin to two separate communities which were established in the 1800s.
Woodstock and Williams Streets in downtown Crystal Lake