Please visit our COVID-19 page for updates on our response and reopening guidelines.

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​Our Mission: To preserve, document, and classify the physical history of the Lake Minnetonka area; to provide a means by which everyone can share in the history of the lake area; and to stimulate interest in the cultural heritage of the area.

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Give to the Max Day is November 19

​If you have already made your year end gift to ELMHS, we thank you! If you haven't please consider making one today. Without the generous support of our members and donors, we would not be able to continue our mission. Read more >>

A  N  N  O  U  N  C  E  M  E  N  T  S

ONLINE PRESENTATION:
Oakwood: The History of West Big Island with Aaron Person
7:00 pm, Monday, November 9, 2020 

Lake Minnetonka's Big Island is often in the news, but the west side of the island gets little notice, even though we know there has been a human presence there for thousands of years. Join us as Aaron Person, President of the Wayzata Historical Society, explores this little known part of the island from its first inhabitants to the wealthy cottagers of the 1880s and the Scandinavian immigrants who moved in after them. “Oakwood” contains some of the oldest structures still in continuous use on either side of the island and has some fascinating stories to tell.

Registration ends 3:00 pm, Friday, November 6.
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This program is co-sponsored by the Excelsior-Lake Minnetonka Historical Society and the Wayzata Historical Society. 

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Votes for Women: Minnesota and the 19th Amendment

In honor of the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, ELMHS partnered with the Excelsior branch of the Hennepin County Library for a virtual program titled Votes for Women: Minnesota and the 19th Amendment. See the recorded program on the Hennepin County Library's YouTube channel here.

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Virtual Lake Minnetonka History Tours

Explore the history of the Lake Minnetonka area from your home, car, bike or by foot with these virtual, self-guided tours!

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Voices of Excelsior Oral History Project

Help us preserve the history of the Lake Minnetonka Area by sharing your stories with us. We are looking for personal stories relating to the current COVID-19 pandemic, Military History, and Water Street in Excelsior. If you or someone you know has a story to share please contact our Executive Director at director@elmhs.org or call (952) 221-4766 to set up an interview, or click here to fill out a form and submit your story online.

Image courtesy of Sue Veazie

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