Architectural blueprint for the 73 foot Express Boat "Excelsior" that was built and added to the Twin City Rapid Transit Company's Lake Minnetonka steamboat fleet in 1915. The vessel was decommissioned in 1926 and eventually scrapped.
Architectural blueprint for the tugboat "Hercules" that was built by the Twin City Rapid Transit Company in 1917. The vessel was scuttled to the bottom of Lake Minnetonka in 1926.
Architectural blueprint for the 73 foot Express Boat "Excelsior" that was built and added to the Twin City Rapid Transit Company's Lake Minnetonka steamboat fleet in 1915. The vessel was decommissioned in 1926 and eventually scrapped.
Architectural blueprint for the proposed but never-built 100 foot Express Boat that would have been part of the Twin City Rapid Transit Company's steamboat fleet on Lake Minnetonka.
Three part set of architectural blueprints for the six original, 70 foot Express Boats built by the Twin City Rapid Transit Company in 1906. Designed by Wayzata boat builder Royal C. Moore, these boats were in service on Lake Minnetonka until 1926. Three of these boats (Como, Minnehaha, and White Bear) were scuttled to the bottom of Lake Minnetonka in 1926, while two others (Harriet and Stillwater) were scrapped. The "Hopkins" was sold and used as an excursion vessel until it was scuttled in 1949. The "Minnehaha" was raised in 1980, restored 1990-1996, and returned to passenger service May 25, 1996.
This map of Lake Minnetonka shows the streetcar and the streetcar boat lines and stops, from Groveland in the east to Zumbra Heights in the west. Streetcar stops on the south side of the Lake are Birch Bluff, Excelsior, Christmas Lake, Vine Hill, Pergatory and Glen Lake. Streetcar stops on the east side of the Lake are Deephaven, Northome, Breezy Point, and Groveland. Lake Minnetonka is 20 miles long and four miles wide with a charmingly irregular shore line of over 300 miles. V.O. Hammon trademark is printed on back, postmarked 1909.
The Como was one of the streetcar steamboats on Lake Minnetonka. Message says the writer took the Como from the hotel to the island, and that the fishing is so good in this lake that it is not unusual to catch 100 pounds of bass in three hours, postmarked and dated 1907.
Steamer Minnehaha plying the waters of Lake Minnetonka, with flags flying, and passengers both inside on the lower deck, and outside on the upper deck, postmarked 1907. Writer describes watching the Chicago Cubs beat Brooklyn 4-3 in Chicago: score at the end of 8th favored Chicago 3-0, end of 9th--3-3, end of 10th--3-3, end of 11th--4-3. "Great doings."
This steamboat seems to have stopped at a dock at the Narrows. This was the scene before the bridge was built across the Narrows. The north side of this channel is in the town of Orono, and the south side is in Tonka Bay. Printed message gives description of Lake Minnetonka, postmarked and dated 1918.
The Puritan docks at Excelsior Landing in front of The Blue Line, with the White House Hotel on the hill behind the caf??. The message on back in Norwegian lists meal for $2.00 and is postmarked 1910.
Bridge crossed the dry creek bed of Minnehaha Creek after a long dry spell. Writer watched for President Taft to cross the bridge in an auto during his visit to Minneapolis, but missed seeing him, dated November 12, 1909.
Three-decked steamer St. Paul steams across Lake Minnetonka with its flags flying, and its side-wheels working, carrying many passengers, color added, dated and postmarked 1908.
This express steamboat "White Bear" has just passed under the new steel bridge at the Narrows. Its advertising sign says it is an express for Zumbra; this channel connects the Upper Lake to the Lower Lake of Lake Minnetonka; the bridge connects Orono and Tonka Bay, postmarked 1916.
Photo of the pavilion or waiting station for the Twin City Rapid Transit Company (T.C.R.T.) streetcar stop in Excelsior, Minnesota, with color added, is postmarked 1910.
The Lakeview Hasty Tasty and a second building at the boat landing in Excelsior advertise Coca Cola and 7 Up, 10 cent hamburgers, Coney Islands, pop or ice cream for a nickel, and cracker jack, plus bathing and picnic grounds, soft drinks and beer. The steam boat Minnetonka is docked at the landing, postmarked 1957.
The Saint Paul, a ferry boat steamer on Lake Minnetonka, had three decks and a side paddle wheel. In this photo flags are flying from both the bow and stern of the upper, open deck, and every deck is crowded with passengers. The ferries ran from 1906 to 1911.
The photograph album, donated to Minnesota Department of Transportation, contains 27 pages of 143 black and white photos from about 1940-1948. Most photos show James E. Chandler and his colleagues doing land surveying and paving work. Some are personal photos with families and friends. James E. Chandler was a Minnesota Highway Department employee.
Contributing Institution:
Minnesota Department of Transportation, MnDOT Library
The photograph album, donated to Minnesota Department of Transportation by Jim Newland, contains 122 pages of 290 black and white photos from about 1930-1960. The album belonged to R. O. "Bob" Langguth, who worked for about 33 years at the Minnesota Highway Department (circa 1930-1963). His son R. W. "Bob" Langguth (born 1922) worked at Minnesota Highway Department for a few years in the 1940s. This album also contains photos of many old-timers, including Les Miller, Bill Merritt, Dewey Mattson, et al.
Contributing Institution:
Minnesota Department of Transportation, MnDOT Library
Photograph album contains 40 black and white photographs of State Project 6282-83, a drop shaft contruction project that took place from 12/02/1966 to 05/26/1967. Each photograph is labeled with a description, a direction, and a time the photo was taken.
Contributing Institution:
Minnesota Department of Transportation, MnDOT Library