Parts for the new boats were cut at Moore Boat Works in Wayzata in late 1905, but Moore’s facility was not large enough to accommodate the assembly process. So, the parts were sent to the TCRT streetcar shop at 31st and Nicollet in South Minneapolis for assembly.
One by one, the nearly-completed boats emerged from the Minneapolis facility on special wheelsets in the spring of 1906. From there, they were transported over the streetcar tracks to Excelsior and launched into Lake Minnetonka.
Commuters who lived or worked on Lake Minnetonka in the early 1900s could ride the streetcar boats to 26-27 landings around the lake and could even be picked up or dropped off at private docks if conditions permitted. Most commuters connected to land-based streetcars in Excelsior, but they could also connect to streetcars in Deephaven (starting in 1906) and in Tonka Bay (starting in 1908). Further yet, they could connect to Great Northern Railway trains in Wayzata and Spring Park.
Officially known as Express Boats, they were steam-powered waterborne vessels with designs reminiscent of the streetcars of the day. The boats operated between communities on Lake Minnetonka, but improved roads in that area hit ridership hard in the 1920s.
Commuters who lived or worked on Lake Minnetonka in the early 1900s could ride the streetcar boats to 26-27 landings around the lake and could even be picked up or dropped off at private docks if conditions permitted. Most commuters connected to land-based streetcars in Excelsior, but they could also connect to streetcars in Deephaven (starting in 1906) and in Tonka Bay (starting in 1908). Further yet, they could connect to Great Northern Railway trains in Wayzata and Spring Park.
The Express Boats proved to be viable with annual ridership consistently reported above 200,000. They became a beloved staple of the Lake Minnetonka community, earning several nicknames over the years such as “Yellow Jackets” and the very popular term “streetcar boats.”
Ultimately, seven were built, but most of them were scuttled in the lake in 1926.
With some of the streetcar boats already out of service, TCRT made the decision to suspend all steamboat service on Lake Minnetonka at the conclusion of the 1926 season. In an effort to dispose of the vessels, TCRT put the streetcar boats up for sale that year but were only successful in selling one, the Hopkins, which went on to live as an excursion boat until 1949. With no other buyers in sight, TCRT decided to scuttle (purposely sink) three of the streetcar boats in July 1926 – an acceptable form of disposal at that time. The scuttled vessels included the Como, White Bear, and Minnehaha. Stripped of their superstructures and machinery, the boats were towed out to deep water north of Big Island and pumped full of water. One by one, they slipped below the waves to their watery graves.
In this map from 1907, electric streetcar lines are shown as black lines and steamboat routes are shown as red dashes.
Over thirty years ago, and I am unsure of just when, a group of people living in the area were able to resurrect the Minnehaha. It took years of labor of love, much money and good old-fashioned sweat to bring the Minnehaha back to operational statue. Should you be in Excelsior, Minnesota in the summer, this boat ride is a must. The ride is pleasant, the information is interesting and you have to see the steam engine, which is visible on the main deck. It does not chug along. it operates smoothly because of a triple chamber system. The largest steam box is the first to yield power, the exhausted steam goes to a small er engine and this engine's exhausted steam in turn goes to the third engine. The result is that one does not feel the chug-chug of a single flywheel. It is also relatively quiet. You will also learn about the Sunday Boats that traveled around the sh ores of Minnesota''s larger lakes to gather parishioners who had no road access, particularly in the spring and fall when the roads were muddy. These rowboats held forty people. Many helped row the boats and faithful Lutherans attended church services. And if you're feeling wild, try eating Lutefisk.
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