​Much of what we know about early Lake Minnetonka history comes from the pages of this frail woman’s diaries. She recorded it all, from 1854-1886, in a clear eyed chronicle which includes her own family’s tale of suffering, insanity, death, love, endurance and guts. The Excelsior-Lake Minnetonka Historical Society presents a sepia tone-free view of the past in Lydia Ferguson’s own words.