EXCELSIOR — The Lake Minnetonka Historical Society will offer a special history cruise event and walking tour of Big Island on Sunday, June 22, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., combining lake breezes, local lore, and guided exploration.
Participants will board the steamboat-style “Lady of the Lake” at the Port of Excelsior for a narrated cruise across Lake Minnetonka, followed by a walking tour of Orono’s Big Island Nature Park. Local historians will lead guests through the island’s storied past, including its significance to the Dakota people, its days as a summer resort destination, and its evolving uses as a game farm and veterans camp.
The event, organized by the recently consolidated Lake Minnetonka Historical Society (LMHS), highlights the organization’s expanded reach. Formed in October 2023 through the merger of the Excelsior-Lake Minnetonka Historical Society, the Museum of Lake Minnetonka, the Wayzata Historical Society, and the Westonka Historical Society, LMHS now manages one of the region’s largest collections of archival materials and artifacts. The society maintains a research archive in Wayzata and museums in Wayzata, Mound, and Excelsior.
Tickets for the June 22 tour are $60 for LMHS members and $75 for nonmembers, available at biwalkingtour.eventbrite.com. Box lunches are included, and beverages will be available for purchase on board.
In addition to public programs like the Big Island tour, LMHS publishes local history books and continues efforts to restore the historic streetcar steamboat Minnehaha to active service.
For more information, contact info@LakeMinnetonkaHistory.org or call 952-474-2115.
