All aboard! The historic steamboat Minnehaha is marking its 20th season of sailing Lake Minnetonka this year — a milestone for the restored early-20th-century boat.
The Minnehaha, which draws nearly 10,000 visitors a year, will now be running longer in its "second life" than it initially did ferrying visitors in the early 1900s.
"It's a true testament to the Minnehaha herself and the volunteers we have," said James Vair of the Museum of Lake Minnetonka, which owns and operates the historic steamboat. "The boat brings lots of people together who are passionate about the boat and the history of the lake."
The steamboat, built in 1906 as one of seven "streetcar" boats to ferry visitors to popular resorts and hotels on the lake, was deemed obsolete in 1926 and purposely sunk into the lake near Big Island. Crews discovered and resurrected the boat in 1980, restoring it and providing cruises since 1996.
Starting last year, the 100-volunteer nonprofit that runs it added new destinations, times and routes, and was able to run during historic high water levels that slowed boat traffic during the summer due to no-wake restrictions.
"It was the fastest on the lake," Vair said of the boat, which can reach speeds of 10 miles an hour.
This year, the Minnehaha will continue the expanded routes. It started at the end of May and will offer cruises through the first week of October.
The cruises, which leave from docks in Wayzata and Excelsior, include trips by Big Island and other prominent points on the lake, trips over legendary shipwrecks and trips showcasing many of Lake Minnetonka's grand houses — all narrated by lake historians.
