The Lake Minnetonka Historical Society hosted 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 was free, with attendees registering in advance.
The presentation explored 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 led 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 touched 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.