The Lake Minnetonka Historical Society (LMHS) will present “Welcome to the 20th Century: Wayzata and the North Shore” with historian Joanie Holst at 7 p.m. on February 13 at the Wayzata Community Room, Wayzata City Hall.
As the train continued to rumble through the village of Wayzata, modest dwellings and summer cottages were joined by substantial year-round estates of wealthy Twin Cities corporate heads. The resort era waned and this lakeside community pivoted to serve its residents and surrounding areas with well-known businesses such as Minnetonka Boat Works, the Wayzata Theater, Minnetonka Hospital and Meyer Bros. Dairy. Attendees will be treated to a more recent history of the town, as well as a little nostalgia.
Free registration is requested as capacity is limited. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and seating is first come, first served. A $5 suggested contribution is appreciated. To register or for more information visit tinyurl.com/ymf4nm7e, lakeminnetonkahistory.org, or contact LMHS at info@LakeMinnetonkaHistory.org or 952-474-2115.
The Society was formed in 2023 through the consolidation of the Excelsior-Lake Minnetonka Historical Society, the Museum of Lake Minnetonka, the Wayzata Historical Society and the Westonka Historical Society. The new organization has one of the largest archival and three-dimensional collections of Lake Minnetonka history available in-person and online and maintains a Research Archives in Wayzata, as well as Museums in Excelsior, Mound and Wayzata.
The Society also shares the history of the lake through a variety of public programs and experiences, publishes and sells a number of books about the history of the area and is committed to returning its historic 1906 streetcar steamboat Minnehaha to active operation on Lake Minnetonka to continue her life as a floating museum.