Mound Minnesota on Lake Minnetonka Blog.MoundWestonka.com
Annual Carp Run is on
Today, at least 15 carp were seen milling about Sollies Creek, some approaching 2 feet in length. The creek is 'open' for carp traffic, with enough depth to allow them to travel to and from Lost Lake if they wanted to.
I am unaware of a significant Winter fish kill. Just a few fish appeared on my shore, though I can't speak for the rest of bay. Water clarity on my shore is currently poor, but I am betting it will improve before long.
Last Monday a loon call was heard on Langdon Bay. Birds with a loon profile were seen, but Cormarandts can also have a loon profile, so a call is one way I confirm loon sightings. I still have not observed much of a Winter fish kill. With the bay's low level and a late ice out date, I had expected one. What I've seen so far is 3 Sunfish that didn't make it through the Winter.
The bay ice partially broke up yesterday, with the wind pushing the ice to the South East shore. The waterfowl started showing up Sunday. A winter kill of fish has not yet been observed. Sollie's Creek is running slowly and the Bay level seems a bit above average for this time of year. I'd estimate the Bay is 5 inches over the berm. The berm at the beginning of the creek can serve as a kind of dam, holding the Bay back from outlettting into Lost Lake. It is mostly composed of sand, making it some what variable.
As of this minute, Sollie's Creek is flowing backwards. 99% of the time, Langdon Bay flows into Lost Lake or is dry. This is one of those rare instances where it goes the other direction. We currently have a decent wind from the East which is probably contributing to the situation. I think that since Lake Minnetonka is seeking places to go, even going upstream into Langdon, its level is pretty good. Perhap an upside of all the recent snow.
The warmer tempatures are working on the lake ice. The headwaters of Sollies Creek are clear of ice and the berm there is apparently lower than the bay level. The creek flow is minimal or non-existant. I'd guess its status is standing water, with Lost Lakes water level holding it back. I believe I heard that April's snowfalls of about 20 inches, gave us 2 to 3 inches of water. We are still waiting to see if the Creek will surge this Spring which occurs most years. I'll be posting past Langdon Bay ice out dates soon.
The Bay still has some snow on it, indicating its ice break up may not happen for awhile. Sollies Creek has standing water in it, but is not flowing. I am guessing the Spring melt will cause it to start flowing before long. The volume will depend how much the Bay rises in the next few weeks.
The Laker ran a story about Grandview Boulevard: Speeding People are using that road as short-cut linking County Road 15 West to County Road 110 North it is said. Some of them are also speeding. I read that the pedistrians feel unsafe. I know of similar situation near my house. Bartlett from the Shirley Hills 4-way stop sign to where Bartlett ends near the bridge to Spring Park can be used in the same way. The road narrows in spots, at times making it unsafe for pedestrians.
What to do with the common property, which our road are? Perhaps we'll do very little. Pedistrians will feel unsafe and avoid using Grandview Boulevard. Neighborhoods such as the Grandview one, are in small ways degraded when their roads effectly turn into arterial roads. Something is lost.
I think the Grandview residents have a valid concern, and I hope our City Council sees this.
My later comment. Transfers can be interesting way to look at things. The Grandview residents may feel they have lost something. Where did it go? One might say it was transferred to those using their neighborhood as a short-cut.
A couple of recent stories from the Laker Newspaper: Navarre The first one is about discussing the future of Navarre. It mentions Pedestrian-Bicycle Connectivity. If pedestrians feel safe in Navarre when crossing County Roads 15 and 19, that will benefit Navarre. It's the same with bicyclists. If they consider Navarre safe to ride through, they will do that. If not, they'll avoid it. It's likely limits on resources are part of the equation, as well as any bias Hennepin County has towards moving automobile traffic. While this is of course neccessary, it can effect pedestrians, bicylists and Narvarre's businesses.
The second story is about a Mound Church MainStreet MainStreet Church is moving to Stonegate Plaza. From the story, "...is hoping the Mainstreet Covenant Church will begin hosting open mic
nights, hot topic discussion forums, an after school youth hangout, a
place for community groups such as book clubs to meet and a local artist
quarters." We are hoping this will be successful, and that it makes Mound a better place to live.
Six Mile Marsh Prairie Restoration meeting in Mound
"The Minnehaha Creek
Watershed District (MCWD) is hosting a community meeting on the Six Mile Marsh
Prairie Restoration on Wednesday, January 16 at 6:30pm at the Gillespie Center
(2590 Commerce Boulevard) in Mound." - the MCWD. Meeting
The view from the 'steep slopes', referred to in the article, across Six Mile are one of the hidden gems of Westonka. I might describe what one sees as a Valley.
A nice link below, writing about some of the science behind traffic. RAF-pilot-teach-cyclists Andreas writes, "Cycle instructors have been saying it for years: Ride in a position
further out from the kerb as a driver is more likely to be looking in
this location." This quote is usually accepted by experienced riders. To move to the left, closer to automobile traffic. To be where people are used to looking for traffic. Where the riding surface is often better. But riding like this is a trade-off. Perhaps the main downside is how automobile drivers react. I think some of them still think bicyclists don't belong so close or in vehicle traffic. And if that's true, we've got a less than ideal situation. There can be tailgating, horn honking, dangerous passing and even verbal comments. I am hoping we'd move closer to having more co-operation on our roads.
Andreas is a what I call, a Lane Control rider. See this link: safe-bike-ride However, he rides in London it seems. With higher density traffic and perhaps a different transportation culture. At the link, he does explain how Lane Control can be better. But not without risks I'd add again.
What is the challenge for Mound here? Perhaps more integration and co-operation on our roads. More education for drivers and riders. I have noticed a bit more sanity on Shoreline as it runs from the Commerce stoplight to Wilshire. While out of towners may still treat it as an opportunity to cut seconds off their travel time, we can still treat it as Our Town.
Wells Fargo not allowing bicycles in the drive-up lane
Making a bank deposit at the Mound Wells Fargo, I noticed a sign that said words to the effect of, No Bicycles at the Drive-up. I wondered why? I guess one could come with reasons for and against having bicycles in their drive-up lane. They are a business and I support their right to make their call with this. What I do see is they have picked the automobile over the bicycle here. How about picking both?
In other non-Bicycle news, it seems the foundation of the Commerce and Lynwood Walgreen's in Mound is about done. The inside of the foundation seems to have been filled up to the floor level.
Joe Soucheray of am1500 will occasionally as part of his radio show, have A Million Dollar Idea. Some sort of new thing he has thought up, and he gives the idea away. Usually one of his listeners will call in, and tell him it's already been done.
Based on my previous post about Alwin's Sugar Maple operation I had a Million Dollar Idea as well. Some sort of website to be used during a ride of the Dakota Rail Trail. With facts and history of what one was riding by. This information could be printed out beforehand, or viewed on one of those gadgets that people more high tech than myself use. A self guided tour. Parking information would also be available. As well as some trail etiquette expectations.
The website could grow over time, and local residents could submit their stories and knowledge for possible inclusion on the website. A goal in Mound has been about being an end point destination. This fits with that, and it could be brought to us by bicycles.
The trees around Langdon Bay are showing some fall colors. Rex Alwin at one time ran a Maple Sugar operation on the Northwest side of the bay. Some of that land has houses on it now and I'd imagine many of those maples remain North of the Dakota Rail Trail. The typical maple color progression is yellow, orange then red.
Now's a good time to think about watering your own trees. A slow rate of flow from a garden hose for ninety minutes is going to be appreciated by your trees. You can water out to the edge of the branches as it's a good bet their roots go out that far.
A couple from Norway stopped by my office at 2567 Commerce Friday. They had questions about our building, The Old Sollie Store. The two Sollies who ran it were the uncles of our Andrews Sisters. It was a neighborhood grocery store. They left me a program that is shown above. I think it says, Tribute To... A play it seems, in Norway. I believe the conversation went to where I learned the Andrews Sisters Mom was from Norway.
I told them a few of the stories I've heard over the years. One of my favorites is that before they were famous, they'd be in Mound. They'd set bowling pins at the Surfside Casino. They'd earn a dime for doing that. Then they'd take that dime and rent roller skates. Then skate around Surfside. I hope it's true.
I am not aware of any existing buildings in Mound that have an Andrews Sisters connection besides ours? If anyone knows of any, please share them with me, so I can send any future visitors I get to them as well.
This map shows how you cross 6 Mile Creek or Marsh with a bike bridge: A larger image of the above is at this link: Minnetrista Trail I wonder if the old rail line shown in a prior post, crossed at this same point? If anyone has any history about that, I'd appreciate it.
If and when this crossing gets built, it would be a major improvement effecting many people.
This image is from a good report by the City of Minnetrista: Minnetrista
Old Map The above link has a bigger image of the map. Unfortunately I've lost the source of this map. If you recognize it, please let me know. With the possible bike trail that would connect Carver Park with the Dakota Rail Trail and cross Six Mile Creek, I recalled this map. I see railroad tracks running along the South side of the Big Lake, and joining other tracks West of Halstead's. Other than this map, I've never heard of such a line. The map also shows a little known road running from West 110, North to County Road 15. I think that road or trail is still bikable. It runs through Gale's Farm.
I think we'd see a lot of benefits if a bike trail is built across Six Mile Creek. It's a beautiful area. It gives me the impression of a valley. It would be a safe and easy connection for Kings Point residents that yes, would reduce motor vehicle traffic.
Highway 7 at one time had poor bicycling shoulders East of Saint Boni running to County Road 44. That's been changed but still vehicle speeds are expected to be around 60 mph. If I was grading Highway 7 in the Kings Point area for my kids, for bicycling, I'd give it a D because of the high speed traffic. I think we should look at the question, is Kings Point isolated from its surroundings? Yes, we can drive our children everywhere. But we can also provide our teenagers some safe bikeways such as one crossing Six Mile Creek.
I came across this old writing of mine. If you don't get out to the Island often and want a nearby place for a bike ride, this will do the trick.
One of the best bike rides
in the area starts at Swenson Park, located at Brighton
Boulevard and Leslie Road in Mound. There is convenient
parking there. Go South on Brighton, and turn right onto Tuxedo
Boulevard. Follow it and Al and Alma's will be on your right as you
climb the big hill. You will soon enter Minnetrista and see one
of their small parks. Up another smaller hill and then down past
the boat launch to the suitably colored new emerald bridge onto
Enchanted Island while the road changes to Enchanted
Lane.
A little ways up the road no houses are visible
and you feel like you are in a rural area. The traffic is almost
non-existent, and the geography is flat, the best biking terrain.
You then ride onto a peninsula with a good view of the lake and
cross an interesting small bridge onto Shady Island
and into the City of Shorewood. Go left at the intersection and
then follow the road around until you are headed back towards
your starting point. The round trip is only about 5 1/2 miles
with two hills to climb on the way out, and two on the way back. One
note of caution, on the return trip, the left turn from Tuxedo to
Brighton can be dangerous.
Joe Soucheray has revisited the Bicycling subject: Souchey Clarifies I see two things he wrote. He realizes it can be dangerous to ride and that he wanted to reroute the bicyclists along Charles Avenue to make their crossing of Snelling safer. What I am hearing from Mr. Soucheray is this uncrossable gulf between automobiles and bicyclists. We do agree that bicyclists always lose when things go wrong. Some of us are trying to make things safer, trying a variety approaches. Perhaps we agree on the size of the problem, but are not deterred by that. Perhaps we can kick this can down the road as our politicians do with our budget problems or maybe we could try to make some progress with it. And we do need without a doubt or any qualifications, the Garage Logicians help with this. With the reroute to Thomas option that Soucheray was in favor of, I agree, a stoplighted crossing is safer for bicyclists. A crosswalk without a stoplight can be dangerous. We in Mound station a Police Officer at our Middle School un-stoplighted crosswalk, admitting that that's safer. We have other crosswalks in Mound where you can see automobile drivers ignoring the law. The Charles and Snelling crossing will not be perfect. But some weight was given I think to the idea that the more direct a bikeway is, the more it will used. I do think those uncomfortable with the crossing, will reroute themselves to Thomas and cross there. We are counting on Saint Paul parents to discuss this crossing their children. What to do, and what not to do. Soucheray has my thanks for sharing his scooter story at the link. Kind of like being a bicyclist isn't it Joe?
My office is on Commerce Boulevard near the Gillespie Center. While doing some outside painting there this weekend I saw a number of bicycle riders. I'd say about half of them were on Commerce itself, and half were using the sidewalk. As usual, a number of boat trailers were parked along Commerce and perhaps that effected things. In my opinion the boat trailers are welcome here as it's one more reason for people to drive to Mound.
The Fastriders I saw were all on Commerce as expected, and even with the boat trailers I imagine they found this stretch of Commerce just fine. A little attention is needed to watch out for car doors opening as that can ruin a person's day. And that can explain why they ride bit closer to automobile traffic than some might expect.
A little more about expected Fastrider behavior today. They find themselves inching towards automobile traffic at times or even controlling a lane if the room just isn't there for them. They usually recognize they are slowing automobile traffic. Because of that, they'll often speed up to delay traffic less.
There's an idea called, Closing Speed. The faster a bicyclist rides, the lower the closing speed. Following or overtaking automobiles have more time to react to what the bicyclist is doing. So you can have situations where the faster the bicyclist is riding, the safer things are. But this is just a generalization. There can be exceptions.
So most Fastriders, do realize what's going on around them, and will try to help out. Doing a little sprint in the middle of their ride. That can be combined with a little slower speed by the trailing automobile drivers, and we can have this co-existence thing going on. Where combined traffic is smooth and safe.
This above closing speed is important when we find people riding against traffic as well. The closing speed is working against them, taking away reaction time from them and automobile drivers.
Say we have 10 mph from the rider and 30 mph from the driver. That's a closing speed of 40 mph when riding against traffic. Now compare the to riding with traffic. 30 mph less 10 mph is 20 mph. It's a big difference. 40 mph is terribly dangerous. Reaction time is halved. The impact effect would seem to be quadrupled. "Since the kinetic energy increases with the square of the speed".
I am no scientist but I think the energy is quadrupled. We don't want any impacts, but we want ones that hit us 4 times as hard even less. On top of that, against traffic exists where they're not expected to be. People may make a right turn onto the road they are on, and not expect them there. Primarily looking to their left.
If it's true about kinetic energy above, and if I am applying it correctly, a small reduction in vehicle speed has a squared effect. While a car driving at 35 mph has a relative energy of about 41, one at 25 mph makes that number only about 21. An extra 10 mph packs about double the energy in this example. The relative energy number for 30 mph is about 30 if you're interested.
All this is to say small changes in vehicle speeds have big effects as far as safety goes. Dropping 5 mph off a vehicle's speed will drop a lot of its impact effect, and increase the reaction time, as the driver is covering less ground per second. All this would seem to apply to the full stop distance as well. When you have less energy to start with, you should be able to reach 0 mph faster. In my above example of 35 mph and 25 mph, you have about half the energy to bring to zero at the lower speed. Again, I am no scientist, but the energy is there and has to go to zero before a stop occurs.
Bill Lindeke writes about forgiveness and road design: Forgiving What I read with this story is that Traffic Engineers have been designing forgiving roads for years. Where drivers can make mistakes and still come out Okay. I see that Engineers in general do this kind of thing. Buildings are built not to collapse with the first failure of one of their parts.
I think he's saying that the same type of thing ought to be happening with bicyclists. That bicyclists as well should be allowed to make mistakes and hopefully not be severely penalized when they do.
I suppose one could come up with a bicycle forgiveness factor. An example of a 1 would be when there are tiny or non-existent shoulders to ride on, a bicyclist is hugging the edge of pavement, and an automobile driver passes them while in the right lane without slowing down. We might be dealing with a foot or so of space. An unforgiving situation.
The bicyclist may control the lane like the ones we have as Lynwood/Shoreline runs to Wilshire. The automobile driver may pull up behind them at a distance of 5 feet, shrinking the forgiveness factor.
Another low forgiveness factor situation is our East Dakota Rail Trail Crossing. Part of the forgiveness factor takes into account the skill of bicyclist. Having our class C riders attempt that crossing as it is now, is what we were able to come up with. One of the easiest ways to get a higher forgiveness factor there is to lower the speed limit to 25 mph.
I've stood at that crossing and counted the seconds between when I can see an automobile driver, and when they reach the crossing. About 5 to 6 seconds, though others may say it's more like 8 seconds. When you have a group of bicyclists or pedestrians trying to cross, you have more variables and a group reaction time. A group needs more time to cross than an individual usually.
Forgiveness is about lowering the costs of mistakes. Perhaps a bit of irony can be found when the best we have, the traffic engineers have been trying to give automobile drivers forgiving roads, and some of these drivers do not show more forgiveness themselves, but seem to work to reduce it.
This is to say that roads can be more forgiving towards bicyclists as can automobile drivers.
A few weeks ago I wrote about a Mom herding young children across Lynwood/Shoreline using the Post Office Crosswalk. I used the wrong word. She was 'Shepherding' them. She was guarding them. Protecting them.
I think she was doing what she was supposed to be doing.
Tommy Mischke of WCCO radio can show a special ability to handle complex situations. We have a story of road rage here: Assault During his show last night, I think he was working from the above story. What he said should be at this podcast: Mischke But WCCO may have pulled that part as I can't find it, and if they did, that's a shame, as Mischke had an important lesson for us I think. However please still listen to the last 2 minutes of the clip anyways. What I found that was good was when he said something like, When someone honks at you, it hurts your feelings. I heard him say that everything that happens after that, like in the linked story, is a result of hurt feelings. When I look at it that way, there's no reaction needed. Hurt feelings are not enough of a 'reason' to do anything when on the road. We can just go about our business. He also gave us a history of the horns and automobiles last night, highlighted by that part where horseless carriages used to be preceded by a guy walking in front of them waving a flag and blowing a horn to protect the pedestrians. There aren't many like Mischke.
I was trying to figure out how long I have been listening to the am1500 radio station? I remember when Tommy Mischke was not yet going by the name of T.D. Mischke, and doing an afternoon show with Don Vogel. Before that, he was the Phantom Caller I believe.
Nathanial Hood who made his reply to Joe Soucheray, covered a number of points and offers what looked to me like a bicyclist's point of view.
Soucheray also had some concerns about our first light rail line and does talk about the one being built along University Avenue these days. It occurred to me that I can't recall him having concerns about the cost of roads generally.
I tried to come up with some costs to compare to the cost of this Charles Avenue project. This seems Okay: Vehicle Subsidies This is a difficult area, trying to get close to what they might be. The author at the link brings up a number of $2 billion per year in Minnesota on roads and highways. Many ballpark numbers are from $400 to $600 per year, per resident. Minnesota has about 5 million residents, so $2 billion/5 million residents is $400/resident. The cost of the Charles Avenue project is said to be $750,000. It's tempting to divide this number by $400/resident. If we do, we get 1,875 residents.
We aren't going to stop driving our automobiles, we just might keep in mind that they are subsidized as bicycles are.
Joe Soucheray would be a valuable ally. He has a wide and loyal audience. Patrick Reusse and himself were two stars that came through whatever that change was that brought ESPN to am1500 radio. I hope Soucheray and his audience can see some common ground here.
I started this blog in about 2008. Since then, my monthly traffic has been about 2,000 to 3,000 visits, though I am not sure what that means? How much of that is wheat and how much is chafe? If Google and 100 other search engines send out bots to look at my blog, it that being counted?
I started on the subject of bicycles and their place in Mound after listening to an interview of a bicycle advocate on MPR. Call it a renewal of interest. In my 20s, I lived not far from the U of M's Minneapolis Campus. I used to commute on a bicycle through downtown Minneapolis to one of my jobs. Using the streets. Park, Portland and 3rd Avenue. Weather or the season usually didn't matter to me. You can say I was a class A rider then.
Later while studying business at the U, and living close to the campus, I found a bicycle more convenient and economical when compared to a car. It was a time saver. Usually one could ride close the building their class was in, and lock up right there, walk for about 2 minutes, and sit down in the classroom. The U probably more than most places, did what they could to blend bicycles into their plans. Probably out of necessity.
Back then I was aware of bicycle advocates, that was in the 80s. We have some of the same issues now that we had then. Minneapolis would be expected to be ahead of Mound with this and it is. And we know that Mound is not Minneapolis, nor is it the U of M. But there are these good things associated with bicycling where place doesn't matter. That are the same no matter what town you live in.
About the time I started on this subject my blog traffic started climbing. It's now about 43,000 visits a month. I would like to thank my visitors and subscribers. I'd also appreciate your comments, for or against, and even, you've got to be kidding me. My blog is moderated and I usually get to the comments within a day or two. : )
At the above link you can give your input through an online survey. The pedestrian plan will ultimately become part of the overall Hennepin County Transportation Systems Plan
I also came across something from the Bike League. For 2012, we were the 2nd best State to bicycle in. We're number 2
I suppose I was surprised by that finding. I am still wondering how I am going to make a left turn from Commerce onto Bartlett by Kirby's Bait on my way to the Shirley Hills 4 way stop signs?
The results show that at least one group thinks we are trying to make some progress here in Minnesota. The link shows a number of interesting things that I didn't know were going on. I think there is some support for trying some new things. Some alternatives to the automobile, some of the time.
I came across a useful way to describe bicyclists,
"Class A cyclists are experienced and are happy to operate on collector
or arterial streets. Class B cyclists include adults or teenagers who
ride more occasionally and have less confidence in traffic. Class C
cyclists include children, the elderly, or other inexperienced
populations who either do not ride on roads or where such activity is
monitored by parents (Krizek et al. 2007b). Class A-C
Page 14.
Which says to me, not only should we have more bicyclists, we should
have more for all 3 classes of bicyclists. Bicyclists is not a
monolithic term and I can see that causes problems at times. Some
bicyclists will move onto the sidewalk as they approach the Lynwood and
Commerce intersection, some will try to hug the curb where no bikelane
exists, and some will control the lane.
So motorists can be confronted with a variety of riders. It's the same
with people designing our roads. They have a market. Which class do they
design for? The biggest class is probably B. Class B riders probably
require more than class A riders as far as infrastructure goes.
Class A riders are more likely to swap to Vehicular Cycling when needed.
Class B riders may really desire bike lanes where none exist. They may
learn to completely avoid intersections like Lynwood and Commerce.
Each rider makes their own decisions about how to handle varying
conditions. What infrastructure can do is help out the class B riders.
It's the barrier effect I wrote about earlier. From an economic point of
view, it seems the biggest market is the class B riders who can gain
confidence on our roads with some upgrades.
Now the question is, who was the Dakota Rail Trail built for? Certainly
the class B and C riders. Not so much so for the class A riders. The
variety of users all on the same trail, has caused some problems as
we've seen. I think part of being a class A rider, is being responsible.
We want people to like bicyclists, don't we?
Welcome to the Mound Westonka Blog that covers subjects related to
Mound Westonka, located on Western Lake Minnetonka in Minnesota. We'd like to hear your comments about anything local. My name is David Greenslit, and
some of you know me as the CPA who with his partner, runs Tulberg
& Greenslit, CPAs on Commerce Boulevard. I hope you enjoy this
blog.
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Lake Minnetonka Facts
Lake Minnetonka was formed by melting ice blocks in glacial moraines 15,000 years ago. The Lake is 929.4 feet above sea level at its outlet, Grays Bay dam. Its greatest length is 10.9 miles (Halsteds Bay to Grays Bay). 30 feet is its average depth. April 12 - 17 is the range of its average ice-out dates. - from the Hennepin County Library.
Lake Minnetonka Cities
There are 14 cities on Lake Minnetonka. They are: Deephaven, Excelsior, Greenwood, Minnetonka, Minnetonka Beach, Minnetrista, Mound, Orono, Shorewood, Spring Park, Tonka Bay, Victoria, Wayzata, and Woodland.
Mound Minnesota's name
"Mound derived its name from the Indian mounds once found within the present day limits. They were not built by the Dakota Indians but were made by prehistoric Indians...." - Melvin Gimmestad, from the book, Historical Backgrounds of Mound, Minnesota.
Tonka Toys
Mound was known as the "Trucking Capital of the World." Tonka Toys was once located in the present day Balboa building near the intersection of Shoreline and Wilshire.
Lois Lane and Hercules
Lois Lane and Hercules both once lived in Mound. Noel Neill appeared in the TV show "Superman". Kevin Sorbo starred as Hercules in the TV show of the same name in the 1990s.
Saint Bonifacius
This city was named for its Catholic church. Saint Boniface was the Apostle of the Germans. Bonifacius in Latin means, of good fate or fortune.
City of Minnetrista
"The City of Minnetrista is located on the western bays of Lake Minnetonka and the agricultural rich plains and idyllic woodlands of southwestern Hennepin County.....The 32 square miles is home to 5,250 residents who enjoy the rural residential and lakeside settings." - from the City's web page.
Busy Corners
The corner of Lake and Central Avenues used to be the center of Mound. Lake Avenue is now called Bartlett Boulevard and Central changed to Commerce Boulevard. Kirby's Bait Shop is located on Busy Corners.
The Island
Island Park is also known as Phelps Island, and once was called North Shore Park. Phelps is the largest island on Lake Minnetonka, and some say it was originally a peninsula. There was a lot of dredging done in Lake Minnetonka's past. It lies East of Cook's Bay and West of Spring Park Bay. Island Park merged with Mound in 1960. It is still called "The Island".
Early Lake Minnetonka
In 1822 Joe Brown, a drummer boy at Fort Snelling and the Commandant's son Will Snelling discover Lake Minnetonka. The two 14 year old boys canoed up Minnehaha Creek and found its source. It appears that relations with the Dakota Sioux at the time required that the Lake remain off limits. It wasn't until the 1850s that its existence becomes general knowledge. In 1852 Simon Stevens and Calvin Tuttle built a dam and sawmill on Minnehaha Creek some distance East of Lake Minnetonka. The next year a hotel is built nearby. In 1854 the Cook House is built in Mound. The 1850s are the beginning of significant settlement around Lake Minnetonka.
