Crystal Lake is located in the state of Illinois and a city in McHenry County and was named after the lake that is situated in the northwestern part of the city of Chicago. The city’s origin can be traced to the two separate communities that were established in the 1800s. The communities established were known as Nunda and Crystal Lake. It was said that the name was taken after Ziba S. Beardsley came to the area and commented that the “waters were as clear as crystal” in 1835. The first white settlers in the area came from New York along with their ten children - Bernan and Polly Crandall, who came to the area traveling in a covered wagon. The family’s cabin was built within the vicinity of the intersection in the present-day Virginia Street and Van Buren Street.