Picturing Lake Minnetonka is a fascinating and nostalgic glimpse of the rise of Minnesota's largest and most beloved summer lake resort. A chronicle of the dizzying changes the lake underwent, this richly illustrated book follows the lake from its days in the 1860s when it was still a fishing spot and secret hideaway to the 1880s when James J. Hill's grand hotels, railroads, and palace steamers dominated the lake, to the turn of the century when the Big Island Amusement Park and the Twin Cities Rapid Transit's express boats and streetcar lines pointed the way to a new era. Ogland captures the bustle and excitement of this time through daguerreotypes, cartes-de-visite, stereoviews, view cards, and the hand-tinted postcards of the day.
At the height of the postcard craze, each hotel on Lake Minnetonka, large and small, offered views of their grand architecture, their beachfront, or their packed porches and dining rooms. Summer tourists eager to show off their new-found wealth and leisure sent thousands of postcards to relatives, sweethearts, friends, and acquaintances. The views on the front of these cards tell us a great deal about what the ideal vacation looked like to turn-of-the-century visitors to the lake.
Picturing Lake Minnetonka is a tribute to those bygone days when life was just a bit simpler, a time that may now seem distant but, in fact, was not so long ago and not so far from where we are today. These views and the brief, often tantalizing, messages they bear provide a window through which we can see the Lake Minnetonka of the past.
By 1906 - An amusement park was built and in operation on Big Island. The Big Island Amusement Park was an ambitious undertaking. A 186 foot high electric beacon and water tower were near the center of the park. The view at night was spectacular.
1907 - A large music casino was built and featured local bands. A large dock was built for the three ferry boats used to bring customers from the dock in Excelsior. A long dock was available on the east end of the island for private boats.
Other features of the amusement park were a large roller coaster, the Old Mill, the Scenic Ride to Yellowstone and the Carousel.
1911 - The Big Island Amusement Park was closed in August. Most of the buildings and rides were dismantled by 1917.
The remaining buildings, including the large mess hall, became part of the new Veteran's Camp in the early 1920's.
Today - The mess hall as well as the Veteran's Camp is still in use today, open to Veteran's and their families.