Crystal Lake Township
Crystal Lake township consisted
of the present cities of New Hope, Crystal, Robbinsdale, and the
part of North Minneapolis from
26th Avenue North to the present Brooklyn Center border.
In March,
1860, a caucus was held to organize the Township of Crystal Lake. The total
vote
cast was 55. The population
in 1869 was 1,023.. In the fall of 1886, an effort was made by the City
of Minneapolis to annex all
townships bordering its limits. The eastern part of Crystal Lake township
was annexed by Minneapolis in 1887. To prevent any more annexation, the
City of Crystal was incorporated under a special act of the legislature
in 1887.
The very
efforts which were to make life more pleasant for the residents of the
Village of Crystal, finally led to dissatisfaction between the people who
had residences adjacent to the business portion of the village and those
in the thinly settled agricultural portions. A special election was held
on March 24, 1893, and the vote to dissolve the Village of Crystal carried
unanimously. On April 19, 1893, the village of Robbinsdale was organized.
The North
Mississippi Historical Society recognizes the need to research and interpret
the history of Crystal Lake Township, and the cities that were formed out
of the township. These suburban areas were originally farming communities.
There are no longer farms in these areas, but some of the farm houses remain.
This historical aspect of these communities must be preserved.
The North Mississippi Historical
Society is willing to help these communities identify and preserve their
historical sites.
In these
pages you will see photographs of what these communities looked like in
the past, and you will learn about the history of the area.
Return to the North Mississippi Historical Society
home page.