Minnehaha (steamboat)

US historic restored ship

Steamboat Minnehaha in Excelsior, Minnesota

History
United States
Name| Minnehaha
Owner|

* Twin City Rapid Transit Company (1906-1926)
* Inland Marine Interpretive Center (1984-1990)
* Minnesota Transportation Museum (1990-2003)
* Museum of Lake Minnetonka (2004-present)

Route| Lake Minnetonka
Builder| Twin City Rapid Transit Company, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Launched|

* 1906
* 1996

In service|

* 1906-1926
* 1996-2019

Homeport| Excelsior, Minnesota, U.S.
Identification| MN 1906 GF
Status| Temporarily out of service
General characteristics
Type| TCRT Express Boat
Displacement| 55 short tons (49.9 t)
Length| 70 ft (21.3 m)
Beam| 14 ft 10 in (4.5 m)
Draft| 5 ft 7.5 in (1.7 m)
Decks| 2
Installed power| 127 hp (94.7 kW)[1]
Propulsion|

* 1 × Coal-fired 250 psi (1,724 kPa) water-tube boiler[1]
* 1 × 7 to 10 to 18 in (180 to 250 to 460 mm) Triple-expansion condensing steam engine[1]
* 1 × 44 in (1,118 mm) diameter bronze quadruple-blade screw[1]

Speed| 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph)
Capacity| 101 persons[1]
Crew| 3 (Pilot, Purser, Engineer)[1]

Minnehaha (steamboat)

U.S. National Register of Historic Places

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Location| 140 George Street, Excelsior, Minnesota
Coordinates| 44°54′11″N 93°34′28″W﻿ / ﻿44.90306°N 93.57444°W﻿ / 44.90306; -93.57444
Built| 1906
NRHP reference No.| 100007073
Added to NRHP| October 25, 2021

Minnehaha is a steam-powered excursion vessel on Lake Minnetonka in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The vessel was originally in service between 1906 and 1926. After being scuttled in 1926, Minnehaha was raised from the bottom of Lake Minnetonka in 1980, restored, and returned to active service in 1996.[2] The vessel operated uninterrupted on Lake Minnetonka until 2019. It is currently stored in a maintenance facility in the town of Excelsior.[3]

## History

[edit]

Minnehaha on Lake Minnetonka in 1906

Minnehaha was built by the Twin City Rapid Transit Company (TCRT) in 1906 and provided fast and reliable transportation for the residents of Lake Minnetonka during much of the early twentieth century.[4] She ran alongside five identical sister vessels named Como, Harriet, Hopkins, Stillwater, and White Bear.[5] TCRT had commissioned boat builder Royal C. Moore to design these "Express Boats" in 1905. Each were 70 feet (21 m) long, 14 feet 10 inches (5 m) wide, drew 5 feet 7 inches (2 m) of water, and were powered by a single coal-fired boiler and triple-expansion steam engine. The sleek, launch-style hull of the craft, modern for the time, made the boats exceptionally stable and efficient as they cut through the water at a speed of approximately 12 miles per hour (19 km/h).[1] The boats were designed in Wayzata and assembled at TCRT's streetcar shops in south Minneapolis.[6]

Express Boat service first began on May 25, 1906, from Minnetonka Beach. Later that year a streetcar transfer terminal was completed in Excelsior, and all routes (four in total) embarked and disembarked from there. The primary function assigned to the Express Boats was to provide fast and reliable transportation for the seasonal residents of Lake Minnetonka who commuted to work in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul area. The boats stopped at 26 designated landings around the lake. They were designed to closely resemble TCRT's streetcars from the internal details to the exterior yellow and red paint scheme. Because of their appearance and the fact they were named after busy TCRT streetcar stops, they were nicknamed the "streetcar boats."[4][6]

The streetcar boats proved to be very successful and economically solvent for many years. A seventh vessel named Excelsior was added to the fleet in 1915 because of high ridership.[4] However, ridership plummeted when roads were improved around Lake Minnetonka in the early 1920s. TCRT made cuts to steamboat service after 1921 and discontinued all steamboat service on Lake Minnetonka in 1926.[2] Three of the streetcar boats were scuttled that summer, including Minnehaha. Three others were scrapped. One of the vessels, the Hopkins, was sold to a private entity and used as an excursion boat until 1949 when it was also scuttled.[6]

In 1979 a diver named Jerry Provost located the wreck of Minnehaha on the bottom of Lake Minnetonka. One year later, Provost and his underwater construction company raised Minnehaha to the surface with the intent of restoring and returning her to passenger service. However, due to a set of legal circumstances, Minnehaha sat in dry dock for 10 subsequent years. After much litigation, ownership of the vessel was ultimately transferred to the Steamboat Division of the Minnesota Transportation Museum in 1990, and a six-year restoration effort began.[6] Minnehaha finally returned to passenger service on May 25, 1996, and operated on Lake Minnetonka as an excursion vessel until 2019.[2]

Minnehaha is currently owned and operated by the Museum of Lake Minnetonka, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, all-volunteer organization formed in 2004 and based in Excelsior, Minnesota.[7] The museum lost access to Minnehaha's launch site at the end of 2019 and the vessel has been out of service since then. Minnehaha was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2021.[3]

## Gallery

[edit]

* Minnehaha in 1906

* Express Boat Como meeting a streetcar in 1906

* Express Boat interior circa 1906

* Minnehaha c. 1910

* Express Boat Hopkins c. 1912

* Express Boats Harriet and Minnehaha c. 1912

* Minnehaha c. 1999

* Minnehaha's steam engine

* Minnehaha in 2010

* Minnehaha in 2014

* The restored Minnehaha in dry dock

## See also

[edit]

* Big Island Park
* Minnesota Streetcar Museum

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d e f g "Specifications – Steamboat Minnehaha". Steamboat Minnehaha – 1906 Steamboat. Retrieved August 31, 2023.
2. ^ a b c "Historic steamboat on Lake Minnetonka looking for new place to launch". Fox 9. August 10, 2022. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
3. ^ a b "Downtown Excelsior, the Steamboat Minnehaha named to the National Register of Historic Places". Star Tribune. October 30, 2021. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
4. ^ a b c "The Story of the Minnehaha, Lake Minnetonka's Streetcar Steamboat". Lake Minnetonka Magazine. May 2020. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
5. ^ "Minnehaha Steamboat: A Floating Minnesota Museum". CBS Minnesota. March 16, 2015. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
6. ^ a b c d "History - Steamboat Minnehaha". Steamboat Minnehaha – 1906 Steamboat. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
7. ^ "The Museum of Lake Minnetonka - Steamboat Minnehaha". Steamboat Minnehaha – 1906 Steamboat. Retrieved September 27, 2022.

## External links

[edit]

* Steamboat Minnehaha website

* v
* t
* e

Surviving ships launched before 1919

operational⛵ preserved⚓

Pre-1800|

* Pesse canoe⚓ (8040–7510 BC)
* Dufuna canoe⚓ (6250 BC)
* Bibongho canoe⚓ (6000 BC)
* Pirogues de Bercy⚓ (4500 BC)
* Khufu ship⚓ (2500 BC)
* Carnegie boat⚓ (1870–1831 BC)
* Chicago boat⚓ (1870–1831 BC)
* Red boat⚓ (1870–1831 BC)
* White boat⚓ (1870–1831 BC)
* Appleby logboat⚓ (1500–1300 BC)
* Dover Bronze Age Boat⚓ (1500 BC)
* Hanson Log Boat⚓ (1500 BC)
* Hasholme Logboat⚓ (c. 750-390 BC)
* Ma'agan Michael Ship⚓ (c. 450 BC)
* Fiskerton log boat⚓ (457–300 BC)
* Hjortspring boat⚓ (c. 350 BC)
* Kyrenia ship⚓ (c. 350 BC)
* Poole Logboat⚓ (c. 300 BC)
* Sea of Galilee Boat⚓ (c. 85 BC)
* Alkedo⚓ (1st century AD)
* De Meern 1⚓ (148 AD)
* Arles Rhône 3⚓ (c. 150 AD)
* Bevaix boat⚓ (c. 182 AD)
* Roman ship of Marausa⚓ (3rd century AD)
* Nydam Boat⚓ (c. 320 AD)
* Oseberg Ship⚓ (820 AD)
* Gokstad ship⚓ (900 AD)
* Tune ship⚓ (900 AD)
* Utrecht ship⚓ (997–1030 AD)
* Skuldelev ships⚓ (1030–1042 AD)
* Quanzhou ship⚓ (1272 AD)
* Bremen cog⚓ (c. 1380 AD)
* Newport Ship⚓ (1449)
* Mary Rose⚓ (1509)
* Tarihi Kadırga⚓ (c. 1600)
* Vasa⚓ (1627)
* Sparrow Hawk⚓ (1628)
* St. Nicholas⚓ (1640)
* State Barge of Charles II⚓ (1670)
* La Belle⚓ (1684)
* Queen Mary's Shallop⚓ (1689)
* Prince Frederick's Barge⚓ (1732)
* Victory⚓ (1765)
* Philadelphia⚓ (1776)
* Peggy⚓ (c. 1789)
* Constitution⛵ (1797)

1800–1879|

* Zetland⚓ (1802)
* Ticonderoga⚓ (1814)
* Trincomalee⚓ (1817)
* Unicorn⚓ (1824)
* Charles W. Morgan⛵ (1841)
* Dom Fernando II e Glória⚓ (1843)
* Bertha⚓ (1844)
* Great Britain⚓ (1845)
* Brandtaucher⚓ (1850)
* Radetzky⚓ (1851)
* Snow Squall⚓ (1851)
* Edwin Fox⚓ (1853)
* Constellation⚓ (1854)
* Tudor Vladimirescu⛵ (1854)
* Santiago⚓ (1856)
* Skibladner⛵ (1856)
* Gondola⛵ (1859)
* Jylland⚓ (1860)
* Warrior⚓ (1860)
* Cairo⚓ (1861)
* Mayflower⚓ (1861)
* Australia⚓ (1862)
* Chattahoochee⚓ (1863)
* Daring⚓ (1863)
* H. L. Hunley⚓ (1863)
* Intelligent Whale⚓ (1863)
* Neuse⚓ (1863)
* Star of India ⛵ (1863)
* Sub Marine Explorer⚓️ (1863)
* City of Adelaide⚓ (1864)
* Jackson⚓ (1864)
* Strelets (1864)
* El Mahrousa⛵ (1865)
* Huáscar⚓ (1865)
* Adelaide⛵ (1866)
* Bjoren⛵ (1866)
* Emma C. Berry⚓ (1866)
* Buffel⚓ (1868)
* Enköping⛵ (1868)
* Lone Star⚓ (1868)
* Schorpioen⚓ (1868)
* Cutty Sark⚓ (1869)
* Katarina⚓ (1869)
* Yavari⚓ (1870)
* Leitha⚓ (1871)
* Lewis R. French⛵ (1871)
* Raven⛵ (1871)
* Stephen Taber⛵ (1871)
* Puno⛵ (1872)
* Gjøa⚓ (1872)
* Meiji Maru⚓ (1873)
* Rap⚓ (1873)
* Hero⛵ (1874)
* James Craig⛵ (1874)
* Juno⛵ (1874)
* Uruguay⚓ (1874)
* Amphibious / Akuna Amphibious⛵️ (1875)
* Muñoz Gamero (1875)
* Sölve⚓ (1875)
* Anna Karoline⚓ (1876)
* Avoca⚓ (1877)
* Bonaire⚓ (1877)
* Elissa⛵ (1877)
* Gem⚓ (1877)
* Governor Stone⛵ (1877)
* Lady of the Lake⛵ (1877)
* Success⚓ (1877)
* Decoy⚓ (1878)
* Enterprise⛵ (1878)
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* Gannet⚓ (1878)
* Holland I⚓ (1878)
* Lady Elizabeth⚓ (1879)
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1880–1899|

* Annie⚓ (1880)
* Fenian Ram⚓ (1881)
* Mary D. Hume⚓️ (1881)
* Rothbury⛵️ (1881)
* George Smeed⛵️ (1882)
* Grace Bailey⛵ (1882)
* Joseph Conrad⛵ (1882)
* Christeen⚓ (1883)
* Nelcebee⚓ (1883)
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* Little Jennie ⚓ (1884)
* Kuna⛵ (1884)
* PW Mayflower⛵ (1884)
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* Coronet⚓ (1885)
* Pioneer⛵ (1885)
* Polly Woodside⚓ (1885)
* Wavertree⚓ (1885)
* Balclutha⚓ (1886)
* L'Almée⚓ (1885)
* Segwun⛵ (1887)
* Sigyn⚓ (1887)
* Tyr⚓ (1887)
* Akarana⚓ (1888)
* af Chapman⚓ (1888)
* Elf⛵ (1888)
* Equator⚓ (1888)
* Priscilla⚓ (1888)
* Anna Kristina⛵ (1889)
* Arthur Foss⚓ (1889)
* Edna E Lockwood⛵️ (1889)
* Peral⚓ (1889)
* Raven⛵ (1889)
* "Eureka"⚓ (1890)
* Persistence⛵️ (1890)
* Robin⚓ (1890)
* Alma⚓ (1891)
* Nellie⚓ (1891)
* Ruby G. Ford⛵️ (1891)
* Tern⛵ (1891)
* Fram⚓ (1892)
* Kestrel⚓ (1892)
* Mirosa⛵ (1892)
* Olympia⚓ (1892)
* Rona⚓️ (1892)
* Coya⚓ (1893)
* El Primero⛵ (1893)
* Lettie G. Howard⛵ (1893)
* Maggie S. Myers⛵ (1893)
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* Effie M. Morrissey⛵ (1894)
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* Marjorie⛵ (1898)
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* Edme⛵ (1898)
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* Albatros⛵ (1899)
* Decima⛵ (1899)
* Maud⛵ (1899)
* Stjernen I⛵ (1899)
* William B. Tennison⚓ (1899)

1900–1907|

* Aurora⚓ (1900)
* Edward M. Cotter⛵ (1900)
* Ena⛵ (1900)
* Helen McAllister⚓ (1900)
* Howard L. Shaw⚓ (1900)
* Ironsides⛵ (1900)
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* Regina M.⚓️ (1900)
* Västan⛵ (1900)
* Victory Chimes⛵ (1900)
* Cangarda⛵ (1901)
* Discovery⚓ (1901)
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* Elsworth⚓ (1901)
* Gazela⚓ (1901)
* Holland 1⚓ (1901)
* Kathryn⚓ (1901)
* Reaper⛵ (1901)
* Sigsbee⛵ (1901)
* Tilikum⚓ c. 1901
* Urger⛵ (1901)
* Basuto⚓ (1902)
* Columbia⚓ (1902)
* Jupiter⚓ (1902)
* Madiz⛵ (1902)
* Shenandoah⛵ (1902)
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* Stanley Norman⚓ (1902)
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* Alma Doepel⛵ (1903)
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* Barnegat⚓ (1904)
* Black Jack⛵ (1904)
* Fannie L. Daugherty⛵ (1904)
* J C Madge⚓ (1904)
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* Juniata⚓ (1904)
* Medea⚓ (1904)
* Moshulu⚓ (1904)
* Sava⚓ (1904)
* Swiftsure⚓ (1904)
* Asgard⚓ (1905)
* Fæmund II⛵ (1905)
* Hathor⛵ (1905)
* Hilda M. Willing⛵ (1905)
* Ridgetown (1905)⚓ (1905)
* Alexander von Humboldt⛵ (1906)
* Baltimore⚓ (1906)
* Blümlisalp⛵ (1906)
* Cambria⛵ (1906)
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* Ena (1906)⚓️ (1906)
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* Minnehaha⛵ (1906)
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* Thalatta⛵ (1906)
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* U-1⚓ (1906)
* Viola⚓ (1906)
* Ambrose⚓ (1907)
* Drazki⚓ (1907)
* Canally⚓ (1907)
* F. C. Lewis Jr.⛵ (1907)
* Henrik Ibsen⛵ (1907)
* Hercules⚓ (1907)
* Irene⛵ (1907)
* Keewatin⚓ (1907)
* Nyanza⚓ (1907)
* Rosa⛵ (1907)
* Ruby⚓ (1907)
* Tarmo⚓ (1907)
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1908–1914|

* Circle Line XIV⛵ (1908)
* Entiat Princess⛵ (1908)
* Fehmarnbelt⛵ (1908)
* Mohican II⛵ (1908)
* Oscar W⛵ (1908)
* Oster⛵ (1908)
* Sabino⛵ (1908)
* Speeder⛵️ (1908)
* Storskär⛵ (1908)
* Ardwina⛵ (1909)
* Bigwin⛵️ ( 1909)
* Dar Pomorza⚓ (1909)
* Duwamish⚓ (1909)
* Großherzogin Elisabeth⛵ (1909)
* Lotus⛵ (1909)
* President⛵ (1909)
* Stadt Zürich⛵ (1909)
* Steam Pinnace 199⛵ (1909)
* Gonca⛵ (1909)
* E.C. Collier⚓ (1910)
* Georgios Averof⚓ (1910)
* Noorderlicht⛵ (1910)
* Norrskär⛵ (1910)
* Ste. Claire⚓ (1910)
* Trillium⛵ (1910)
* Suriname-Rivier⚓ (1910)
* Europa⛵ (1911)
* Eye of the Wind⛵ (1911)
* Helen Smitton⚓ (1911)
* Hestmanden⚓ (1911)
* Industry⛵ (1911)
* James M. Schoonmaker⚓ (1911)
* McKeever Brothers⚓ (1911)
* Nellie L. Byrd⛵ (1911)
* Nomadic⚓ (1911)
* Nusret⚓ (1911)
* Passat⚓ (1911)
* Peking⚓ (1911)
* Pevensey⛵ (1911)
* Tradewind⛵ (1911)
* Wäiski⚓ (1911)
* African Queen⚓ (1912)
* Astoria⛵️ (1912)
* Canberra⛵ (1912)
* Cartela⛵ (1912)
* Chacon⚓ (1912)
* Earnslaw⛵ (1912)
* Gustaf III⛵ (1912)
* Gustafsberg VII⛵ (1912)
* James Caird⚓ (1912)
* J. L. Runeberg⛵ (1912)
* Kwasind⛵ (1912)
* Lady Denman⚓ (1912)
* Margaret⛵ (1912)
* Melbourne⛵ (1912)
* Sundowner⛵ (1912)
* Texas⚓ (1912)
* Wendameen⛵ (1912)
* Zhongshan⚓ (1912)
* Miktat Kalkavan⛵ (1912)
* Acadia⚓ (1913)
* Adventuress⛵ (1913)
* Benjamim Guimarães⛵ (1913)
* Dredge No. 4⚓️ (1913)
* Jolie Brise⛵ (1913)
* Kildare⛵ (1913)
* Kommuna⛵ (1913)
* Kyle⚓ (1913)
* North Head⚓ (1913)
* Rusinga⚓️ (1913)
* Stord I⛵ (1913)
* Suur Tõll⛵ (1913)
* Usoga⛵ (1913)
* Naramata⚓ (1914)
* Sicamous⚓ (1914)
* Stadt Rapperswil⛵ (1914)

World War I|

* Belle of Louisville⛵ (1914)
* Britannia⛵️ (1914)
* Bustardthorpe⛵ (1914)
* Caroline⚓ (1914)
* Hercules⛵ (1914)
* Horns Rev⚓ (1914)
* Katahdin⛵ (1914)
* Libby's No. 23⚓ (1914)
* Doulos Phos⚓ (1914)
* Perth⚓ (1914)
* Pilot⛵ (1914)
* Statsraad Lehmkuhl⛵ (1914)
* Zumbrota⛵ (1914)
* Bradbury⚓ (1915)
* Graf von Goetzen⛵ (1915)
* Katie⛵ (1915)
* Langer Heinrich⛵ (1915)
* M33⚓ (1915)
* Mar-Sue⛵ (1915)
* Miseford⛵ (1915)
* Peacock⛵ (1915)
* Sankt Erik⛵ (1915)
* Wilhelm Carpelan⚓ (1915)
* Coastal Motor Boat 4⚓ (1916)
* Krassin⚓ (1916)
* Mariette⛵️ (1916)
* Mercantile⛵ (1916)
* Portsmouth⚓ (1916)
* UB-46⚓ (1916)
* Carlisle II⛵ (1917)⚓ (1917)
* Carpentaria⚓ (1917)
* Commander⛵ (1917)
* L'Art de Vivre⛵ (1917)
* Maud⚓ (1917)
* St. Julien⛵️ (1917)
* Valley Camp⚓️ (1917)
* El Don⛵️ (1918)
* Felipe Larrazabal ⚓ (1918)
* Kapitan Borchardt⛵ (1918)
* Lotus⛵ (1918)
* Oosterschelde⛵ (1918)
* President⚓ (1918)
* Surprise⛵ (1918)
* W. P. Snyder Jr.⚓ (1918)

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