Pop Culture Preservation Society strikes a retro chord. If you played with Fisher-Price toys, watched The Brady Bunch on Friday nights or almost...
History
Dovetails in Tall Grass
Author brings light to a tragic piece of Minnesota history. Samantha Specks brings Minnesota history to life through her first novel, Dovetails in...
Family Business Keeps Rolling
Youngstedts celebrates 50 years of automotive service. “Wouldn’t trust my family’s vehicles to anyone else,” says a customer of 27 years with...
School Building has its Own History Lesson
In March 1915, ground was broken for the construction of Excelsior High School on the corner of what is today Highway 7 and Oak Street. The red...
Silent Stories
Photographer gives voice to Abandoned North Dakota. For those who appreciate and are curious about churches, homes, schools and the like that are no...
Historic Home Made a Worthy Move
The past few years has seen an outcry from people wanting to preserve the historic nature of Excelsior’s built environment. The pique of property...
Excelsior Building has a Dynamite History
For over 50 years, a gas station has occupied the corner of Water and Third streets in Excelsior. In another lifetime, a noble two-story brick...
Club’s focus moves from suffrage to citizenship
After women won the right to vote in 1920, the Woman’s Club of Lake Minnetonka (WCLM) made sure its members and other women in the community were...
Most of Minnesota’s Game Birds Can Be Traced Back to Big Island
The Big Island Game Farm brought Minnesota its most iconic game bird, the ring-necked pheasant. In 1915, Frank Blair, a conservationist with the...
What Happened to the Excelsior Amusement Park Carrousel?
The Excelsior Amusement park closed and, in July of 1974, many of the items were auctioned off to the public. The carrousel at the former Excelsior...
Did You Know Lake Minnetonka Once Had Delivery Boats?
Delivery boats were both a reliable and direct way to deliver goods on Lake Minnetonka, as roads did not exist to all parts of the lake or were...
Big Island Legacy Gives Lake Minnetonka’s Most Prominent Landmark a Makeover
A local group's fundraising efforts have brought a wealth of improvements to Big Island. Rick Carter has deep affection for Big Island Park, and he...
The Story of the Minnehaha, Lake Minnetonka’s Streetcar Steamboat
The streetcar steamboat Minnehaha is one of the most iconic symbols of Lake Minnetonka’s heritage. The streetcar steamboat Minnehaha is one of the...
A Look Inside Amesbury, a Sanctuary in Shorewood
There’s something clearly magnetic about the secluded community of Amesbury. On May 6, 1965, six tornados tore through six counties around the Twin...
Local Filmmaker Documents Uncle’s Incredible WWII Story in ‘Stalag Luft III’
Deephaven filmmaker Louise Woerhle's new documentary tells the remarkable story of her uncle's time in Nazi captivity. The core of Deephaven...
The Forgotten Side of Lake Minnetonka’s Big Island
Read the lesser known history of one of Lake Minnetonka's most prominent landmarks. Boaters on Lake Minnetonka today might be confused by the fact...
Meet David Bell, Founding Father of Excelsior and Minneapolis
David Bell laid the cornerstone for Excelsior Academy and played a key role in several early Minneapolis institutions. In 1885, David Bell laid the...
The History of Ice Harvesting on Lake Minnetonka
The ice harvest was an important time on Lake Minnetonka in the early 1900s. Before refrigerators, ice was harvested from several bays on Lake...
‘I Love You So Deeply’: Wayzata Woman Finds Grandparents’ 90-Year-Old Love Letters
Martha Long couldn’t believe her eyes as she read the tender words from her stoic grandfather to her vivacious grandmother. I’ve told you so little...
100 Years Ago, a Flu Outbreak Shut Down Excelsior
Thirty-nine flu cases had been reported in the town in January 1920. One hundred years ago, Excelsior area churches, schools, and theaters were...
