Minnehaha is a steam-poweredexcursion vessel on Lake Minnetonka in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The vessel was originally in service between 1906 and 1926. After being scuttled in 1926, Minnehaha was raised from the bottom of Lake Minnetonka in 1980, restored, and returned to active service in 1996.[2] The vessel operated uninterrupted on Lake Minnetonka until 2019. It is currently stored in a maintenance facility in the town of Excelsior.[3]
Minnehaha was built by the Twin City Rapid Transit Company (TCRT) in 1906 and provided fast and reliable transportation for the residents of Lake Minnetonka during much of the early twentieth century.[4] She ran alongside five identical sister vessels named Como, Harriet, Hopkins, Stillwater, and White Bear.[5] TCRT had commissioned boat builder Royal C. Moore to design these "Express Boats" in 1905. Each were 70 feet (21 m) long, 14 feet 10 inches (5 m) wide, drew 5 feet 7 inches (2 m) of water, and were powered by a single coal-fired boiler and triple-expansion steam engine. The sleek, launch-style hull of the craft, modern for the time, made the boats exceptionally stable and efficient as they cut through the water at a speed of approximately 12 miles per hour (19 km/h).[1] The boats were designed in Wayzata and assembled at TCRT's streetcar shops in south Minneapolis.[6]
Express Boat service first began on May 25, 1906, from Minnetonka Beach. Later that year a streetcar transfer terminal was completed in Excelsior, and all routes (four in total) embarked and disembarked from there. The primary function assigned to the Express Boats was to provide fast and reliable transportation for the seasonal residents of Lake Minnetonka who commuted to work in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul area. The boats stopped at 26 designated landings around the lake. They were designed to closely resemble TCRT's streetcars from the internal details to the exterior yellow and red paint scheme. Because of their appearance and the fact they were named after busy TCRT streetcar stops, they were nicknamed the "streetcar boats."[4][6]
The streetcar boats proved to be very successful and economically solvent for many years. A seventh vessel named Excelsior was added to the fleet in 1915 because of high ridership.[4] However, ridership plummeted when roads were improved around Lake Minnetonka in the early 1920s. TCRT made cuts to steamboat service after 1921 and discontinued all steamboat service on Lake Minnetonka in 1926.[2] Three of the streetcar boats were scuttled that summer, including Minnehaha. Three others were scrapped. One of the vessels, the Hopkins, was sold to a private entity and used as an excursion boat until 1949 when it was also scuttled.[6]
In 1979 a diver named Jerry Provost located the wreck of Minnehaha on the bottom of Lake Minnetonka. One year later, Provost and his underwater construction company raised Minnehaha to the surface with the intent of restoring and returning her to passenger service. However, due to a set of legal circumstances, Minnehaha sat in dry dock for 10 subsequent years. After much litigation, ownership of the vessel was ultimately transferred to the Steamboat Division of the Minnesota Transportation Museum in 1990, and a six-year restoration effort began.[6]Minnehaha finally returned to passenger service on May 25, 1996, and operated on Lake Minnetonka as an excursion vessel until 2019.[2]
Minnehaha is currently owned and operated by the Museum of Lake Minnetonka, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, all-volunteer organization formed in 2004 and based in Excelsior, Minnesota.[7] The museum lost access to Minnehaha's launch site at the end of 2019 and the vessel has been out of service since then. Minnehaha was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2021.[3]
^ abc"Historic steamboat on Lake Minnetonka looking for new place to launch". Fox 9. August 10, 2022. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
^ ab"Downtown Excelsior, the Steamboat Minnehaha named to the National Register of Historic Places". Star Tribune. October 30, 2021. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
^ abc"The Story of the Minnehaha, Lake Minnetonka's Streetcar Steamboat". Lake Minnetonka Magazine. May 2020. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
^"Minnehaha Steamboat: A Floating Minnesota Museum". CBS Minnesota. March 16, 2015. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
^"The Museum of Lake Minnetonka - Steamboat Minnehaha". Steamboat Minnehaha – 1906 Steamboat. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
External linksedit
Steamboat Minnehaha website
April 13, 2024
minnehaha, steamboat, minnehaha, steam, powered, excursion, vessel, lake, minnetonka, state, minnesota, vessel, originally, service, between, 1906, 1926, after, being, scuttled, 1926, minnehaha, raised, from, bottom, lake, minnetonka, 1980, restored, returned,. Minnehaha is a steam powered excursion vessel on Lake Minnetonka in the U S state of Minnesota The vessel was originally in service between 1906 and 1926 After being scuttled in 1926 Minnehaha was raised from the bottom of Lake Minnetonka in 1980 restored and returned to active service in 1996 2 The vessel operated uninterrupted on Lake Minnetonka until 2019 It is currently stored in a maintenance facility in the town of Excelsior 3 Steamboat Minnehaha in Excelsior MinnesotaHistoryUnited StatesNameMinnehahaOwnerTwin City Rapid Transit Company 1906 1926 Inland Marine Interpretive Center 1984 1990 Minnesota Transportation Museum 1990 2003 Museum of Lake Minnetonka 2004 present RouteLake MinnetonkaBuilderTwin City Rapid Transit Company Minneapolis MinnesotaLaunched19061996In service1906 19261996 2019HomeportExcelsior Minnesota U S IdentificationMN 1906 GFStatusTemporarily out of serviceGeneral characteristicsTypeTCRT Express BoatDisplacement55 short tons 49 9 t Length70 ft 21 3 m Beam14 ft 10 in 4 5 m Draft5 ft 7 5 in 1 7 m Decks2Installed power127 hp 94 7 kW 1 Propulsion1 Coal fired 250 psi 1 724 kPa water tube boiler 1 1 7 to 10 to 18 in 180 to 250 to 460 mm Triple expansion condensing steam engine 1 1 44 in 1 118 mm diameter bronze quadruple blade screw 1 Speed10 knots 19 km h 12 mph Capacity101 persons 1 Crew3 Pilot Purser Engineer 1 Minnehaha steamboat U S National Register of Historic PlacesShow map of MinnesotaShow map of the United StatesLocation140 George Street Excelsior MinnesotaCoordinates44 54 11 N 93 34 28 W 44 90306 N 93 57444 W 44 90306 93 57444Built1906NRHP reference No 100007073Added to NRHPOctober 25 2021 Contents 1 History 2 Gallery 3 See also 4 References 5 External linksHistory edit nbsp Minnehaha on Lake Minnetonka in 1906Minnehaha was built by the Twin City Rapid Transit Company TCRT in 1906 and provided fast and reliable transportation for the residents of Lake Minnetonka during much of the early twentieth century 4 She ran alongside five identical sister vessels named Como Harriet Hopkins Stillwater and White Bear 5 TCRT had commissioned boat builder Royal C Moore to design these Express Boats in 1905 Each were 70 feet 21 m long 14 feet 10 inches 5 m wide drew 5 feet 7 inches 2 m of water and were powered by a single coal fired boiler and triple expansion steam engine The sleek launch style hull of the craft modern for the time made the boats exceptionally stable and efficient as they cut through the water at a speed of approximately 12 miles per hour 19 km h 1 The boats were designed in Wayzata and assembled at TCRT s streetcar shops in south Minneapolis 6 Express Boat service first began on May 25 1906 from Minnetonka Beach Later that year a streetcar transfer terminal was completed in Excelsior and all routes four in total embarked and disembarked from there The primary function assigned to the Express Boats was to provide fast and reliable transportation for the seasonal residents of Lake Minnetonka who commuted to work in the Minneapolis Saint Paul area The boats stopped at 26 designated landings around the lake They were designed to closely resemble TCRT s streetcars from the internal details to the exterior yellow and red paint scheme Because of their appearance and the fact they were named after busy TCRT streetcar stops they were nicknamed the streetcar boats 4 6 The streetcar boats proved to be very successful and economically solvent for many years A seventh vessel named Excelsior was added to the fleet in 1915 because of high ridership 4 However ridership plummeted when roads were improved around Lake Minnetonka in the early 1920s TCRT made cuts to steamboat service after 1921 and discontinued all steamboat service on Lake Minnetonka in 1926 2 Three of the streetcar boats were scuttled that summer including Minnehaha Three others were scrapped One of the vessels the Hopkins was sold to a private entity and used as an excursion boat until 1949 when it was also scuttled 6 In 1979 a diver named Jerry Provost located the wreck of Minnehaha on the bottom of Lake Minnetonka One year later Provost and his underwater construction company raised Minnehaha to the surface with the intent of restoring and returning her to passenger service However due to a set of legal circumstances Minnehaha sat in dry dock for 10 subsequent years After much litigation ownership of the vessel was ultimately transferred to the Steamboat Division of the Minnesota Transportation Museum in 1990 and a six year restoration effort began 6 Minnehaha finally returned to passenger service on May 25 1996 and operated on Lake Minnetonka as an excursion vessel until 2019 2 Minnehaha is currently owned and operated by the Museum of Lake Minnetonka a 501 c 3 nonprofit all volunteer organization formed in 2004 and based in Excelsior Minnesota 7 The museum lost access to Minnehaha s launch site at the end of 2019 and the vessel has been out of service since then Minnehaha was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2021 3 Gallery edit nbsp Minnehaha in 1906 nbsp Express Boat Como meeting a streetcar in 1906 nbsp Express Boat interior circa 1906 nbsp Minnehaha c 1910 nbsp Express Boat Hopkins c 1912 nbsp Express Boats Harriet and Minnehaha c 1912 nbsp Minnehaha c 1999 nbsp Minnehaha s steam engine nbsp Minnehaha in 2010 nbsp Minnehaha in 2014 nbsp The restored Minnehaha in dry dockSee also editBig Island Park Minnesota Streetcar MuseumReferences edit a b c d e f g Specifications Steamboat Minnehaha Steamboat Minnehaha 1906 Steamboat Retrieved August 31 2023 a b c Historic steamboat on Lake Minnetonka looking for new place to launch Fox 9 August 10 2022 Retrieved September 27 2022 a b Downtown Excelsior the Steamboat Minnehaha named to the National Register of Historic Places Star Tribune October 30 2021 Retrieved September 27 2022 a b c The Story of the Minnehaha Lake Minnetonka s Streetcar Steamboat Lake Minnetonka Magazine May 2020 Retrieved September 27 2022 Minnehaha Steamboat A Floating Minnesota Museum CBS Minnesota March 16 2015 Retrieved September 28 2022 a b c d History Steamboat Minnehaha Steamboat Minnehaha 1906 Steamboat Retrieved September 27 2022 The Museum of Lake Minnetonka Steamboat Minnehaha Steamboat Minnehaha 1906 Steamboat Retrieved September 27 2022 External links editSteamboat Minnehaha website Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Minnehaha steamboat amp oldid 1199234137, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
