The Lake Minnetonka Historical Society will host an evening program titled “Old Orchard and the John Wilcox Family” on Thursday, October 16 at 7:00 p.m. in the Wayzata Community Room at Wayzata City Hall, 600 Rice Street East. Admission is free, but registration is requested at oldorchardwilcox.eventbrite.com. Seating is first come, first served.
The presentation will explore the remarkable life and legacy of entrepreneur John F. Wilcox, whose ventures included the Wilcox Motor Car Company, Wilcox Trux, and the early Wilcox fire engine still owned by the City of Wayzata. Descendant KC Stabeck will lead the discussion, tracing the evolution of the Wilcox family’s Old Orchard estate in Tonka Bay’s Wildhurst neighborhood—from its early days as a 1920s–30s summer resort, to its return to the family, and eventual redevelopment.
In addition to the Wilcox story, the program will touch on the broader history of Tonka Bay, including the State Fruit Farm, Wildhurst, Birch Bluff, and Lockes Point—landmarks that helped define the south shore of Lake Minnetonka during the region’s early years of resort and agricultural development.
The Lake Minnetonka Historical Society (LMHS) was 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. Together, they have created one of the largest collections of Lake Minnetonka history—spanning archives, artifacts, and restored vessels such as the 1906 streetcar steamboat Minnehaha, which the Society is working to return to active operation.
The organization now maintains research archives in Wayzata and operates museums in Excelsior, Mound, and Wayzata. Through lectures, exhibits, publications, and lakewide initiatives, LMHS continues to preserve and share the intertwined histories of the communities surrounding Lake Minnetonka.
For more information, visit LakeMinnetonkaHistory.org or contact the Society at info@LakeMinnetonkaHistory.org or 952-474-2115.
