The village of Hudson greets visitors with signs stating, �Pride of the Prairie.� The first settlers arrived in Hudson Township in 1829, settling near a Potawatomi Indian village about 1 mile west of where Hudson now stands. The boulder identifying the last stand of the Potawatomi village in McLean County was placed near the village�s origin in 1920. The boyhood home of the famous author and philosopher Elbert Hubbard, built in 1857, still stands at Broadway and Walnut Streets. Constructed in 1929, the man-made Lake Bloomington offers both residential and recreation areas. The Evergreen Lake area includes a county park with camping, picnic areas, and a beach. In Hudson, readers will catch glimpses of these things and more: the past 175 years of people, agriculture, organizations, churches, and schools�all built on the strong foundation of the early settlers.