David Bell laid the cornerstone for Excelsior Academy and played a key role in several early Minneapolis institutions. Read more about Meet David Bell, Founding Father of Excelsior and Minneapolis
The ice harvest was an important time on Lake Minnetonka in the early 1900s. Read more about The History of Ice Harvesting on Lake Minnetonka
The motto for the trail was “A Good Road from Plymouth Rock to Puget Sound.” Read more about Part of Yellowstone Trail, Which Once Crossed America, Survives in Excelsior
In 1901, Dr. George LaPaul had a stern-wheel steamboat built bearing his name at a cost of $10,000.
The George launched from the Excelsior docks with a large crowd of over 1,000 spectators. The boat held 800 passengers and was the largest boat on Lake Minnetonka at the time.
In 1908, after various owners and re-namings, the Excelsior was considered antiquated, was decommissioned, and shortly afterward had her engines, boilers and other valuable equipment removed. Read more about In 1909, Thousands Watched a Fiery Funeral for Lake Minnetonka's Largest Boat
Many have driven past and visited Oak Hill Cemetery, located along Excelsior Boulevard and Highway 7 near Excelsior, where more than a thousand local residents have been buried since the 1800s. Read more about The History of Oak Hill Cemetery Holds Lessons for the Present
Scott McGinnis’ personal history with the Lake Minnetonka area began back in 1856, when his ancestors moved south of Excelsior. Read more about Local Author Has Been 'Hooked On History' Since Age 12
The lives of the Halsted brothers ended sadly near the Lake Minnetonka bay that bears their name. Read more about The Tragedy of Lake Minnetonka's Halsted Brothers
Boulder Bridge Farm, once owned by the Daytons, was at one point the largest of Lake Minnetonka's "gentleman farms." Read more about The History of Boulder Bridge Farm
In the fall of 1853, Peter Gideon came to Minnesota with his wife, Wealthy Hull, and their children. He planted a bushel of apple seeds and some other fruit-bearing tree seeds that he had brought with him on a 160-acre parcel of land next to what is now known as Gideon’s Bay. Gideon’s main goal was to develop an apple tree hardy enough to withstand Minnesota winters. After ten years of hardship and disappointment, Gideon was determined. He purchased seeds and scion (shoots) from an apple grower in Bangor, Maine and grafted a scion onto his lone crab apple tree that had survived a freeze. Read more about The History of Minnesota's Second Most Famous Apple, the Wealthy
The history of the business also serves as a family history. Read more about The History of Tonka Bay Boat Works
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