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The North entrance of Mound Westonka High School in Minnetrista. Grades 8 through 12 use this district # 277 building.
District # 277 educates about 2,300 students, employees 175 teachers and has 100 support staff.
It's five schools are: the Westonka Community Preschool, Hilltop Primary, Shirley Hills Primary, Grandview Middle, Mound Westonka High.
My compliments to the grounds keeper. You could putt on this grass. Sept. 2006
Link to a nice map of the district: #277 If you look at the Northern part of the map, you can see the district's still has its rural areas.
  The Mist in April '06 on the left and then on the right in Sept. "For years, the Minnetonka Mist was a local institution the shores of Lake Minnetonka. The family-owned restaurant and bar was a favorite among locals. “It was sort of the ‘Cheers’ of Spring Park,” said Jim McCaffrey, senior vice president/principal with Colliers Turley Martin Tucker. ..... McCaffrey represented the Stannard family in selling the property. The business was originally founded by the late Paul Stannard." - From The Mist
 "The “Minnehaha” was one of six streetcar boats launched in 1906 by the Twin Cities Rapid Transit Company. Designed to resemble streetcars, the boats were an extension of the streetcar line. For twenty years the boats served the resorts, summer cottages and Big Island Park. The streetcar boats carried passengers on a regular daily schedule to many locations on Lake Minnetonka." - For more from the Museum of Lake Minnetonka, click on their logo.
The Sollie Brothers' Grocery Store
The Andrews Sisters lived in Minneapolis during their youth, but spent their childhood summers in Mound. Their uncles, Pete and Ed Sollie opened their store in 1922 and it remained open for 42 years. Prior to running their store, the Sollie Brothers had spent their summers operating the Hiawatha Ice Cream Company in Mound, with their target market being the tourist boats on Lake Minnetonka.
The Andrews Sisters grandparents, Peter and Sophie Sollie also lived in Mound, near the Sollie Store. They moved here from Minneapolis
The Andrews Sisters spent a lot of summer days at the main beach on Cooks Bay. Chapman's Casino was next the main beach. The Casino had a bowling alley where the three sisters would set pins to earn money to go roller skating. The impression one gets of Mound at this time is that of a resort town.
After the Sisters became famous, each year during the 1940's they would return to Mound from Hollywood California. Their arrival usually created some excitement.
"On one of their visits, they presented Pete and Ed with a jukebox for their store, featuring, of course, all the popular Andrews Sisters' recordings." - quote from Tom Rockvam.
I've relied heavily on Mound resident Tom Rockvam's work in writing the above. A recent project of his was the "Andrews Sisters Trail" in Mound, that was officially dedicated on August 5th, 2006. 2567 Commerce Boulevard, Mound, Minnesota is the address of the old Sollie Store. It is owned by accountants Gordy Tulberg, Lee Greenslit and David Greenslit.
Visit Rockvams' site at: Andrews Sisters Trail Illies Corners Ben Illies moved to what is now the intersection of county roads 110 and 151, North of Mound, in 1946. At the time the roads weren't that well named and the locals started to refer to the area as Illies Corner. Ben had 11 kids, and was in the landscaping business.  Excelsior Streetcar Line History
"The Minneapolis and St. Louis was the first railroad to reach Excelsior, in 1879, from Minneapolis and Hopkins via Deephaven. It was joined in 1882 by the narrow gauge Minneapolis, Lyndale & Minnetonka, better known as the Motor Line. Both railroads sought to cash in on the Lake Minnetonka tourist boom of the 1880s. The M&StL continued into western and southern Minnesota, but extended a short branch to Tonka Bay, where the company opened the Tonka Bay Hotel." For more from the Minnesota Streetcar Museum, click on the Streetcar.
"Spring Park is a small suburban city in the greater Twin Cities Metropolitan Area. We are nestled along the shores of Lake Minnetonka, fronting on West Arm Bay, Black Lake and Spring Park Bay." - from the city's website. 
The Gillespie Center. Story at the Laker, at the Laker, and again at the Laker.
 The Burwell House, 1884
"C. H. Burwell served as secretary/manager of the Minnetonka Mills Company at its location on Minnehaha Creek, just east of McGinty Road. The mill had a short but productive career, by 1881 producing 300 barrels of flour per day, but closing in 1886 due to competition from the Minneapolis mills. After the closing, Burwell commuted to Minneapolis where he served as a private secretary to Loren Fletcher, prominent Minneapolis businessman and legislator." For more from the Minnetonka Historical Society, click on the house.
The Voyageur Environmental Center
"A full service environmental education center located in Minnetrista, near Mound, Minnesota. It is situated on 110 acres of forested, rolling hills overlooking Little Long Lake, only 25 miles west of the Twin Cities. In addition to Little Long Lake, VEC features a beaver pond, a pine forest, a floating sedge mat, an archery range, a sports field, 7 sleeping cabins, and miles of nature trails for hiking. Camp Voyageur hosts the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Twin Cities summer camp June through August. Club members visit VEC on weekends as well as school release days. The Center is also available as a resource for schools as well as a retreat and conference center." More: VEC
This is a first rate facility North of County Road 15, a half a mile past Westonka Sewer and Water. 
Shirley Hills. May 2006
A Video about Wayzata Minnesota:
It'd be nice if we had something like this for Westonka. For more pictures of Mound Westonka Minnesota: Click Here Mound Westonka's 2006 Homecoming Parade
Use the "Site Search" tab at the top of the page for Site Naviagation.  Osprey Nests around Westonka
There are several Osprey Nests close by. Perhaps the easiest one to see is the one at the WRA Park located just South of the Gale Woods Farm along county road 110. It is just South of the park's main building, on a light pole, and it is active in 2007, as it has been for a number of years.
"Three Rivers Park District naturalists are currently monitoring 44 osprey nests throughout the metro area. Thirty-three of the birds are either original birds released during the 12-year reintroduction program, or their offspring. Naturalists band the chicks when they are 5-5 ½ weeks old. The chicks begin to fly around the eighth week." - Three Rivers Park District, 2006.
I remember Gale Woods as being Gale's Woods back in the 70s. I suppose the Gale family no longer owns it as it was donated to the Three Rivers Park District.
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Bigger picture of the background image: here
Island Park is also known as Phelps Island, and has also been called North Shore Park and Noble Island in the past. Phelps is the largest island on Lake Minnetonka, and according to Minnesota Place Names was originally a peninsula. There was a lot of dredging done in Lake Minnetonka's past. It was named for Edmund Joseph Phelps and lies East of Cook's Bay and West of Spring Park Bay. Some of its businesses from the past were: Pembroke or Sunnyside for groceries and supplies, Devon Grocery with boats and bait, Wychwwood Inn for home cooking, cottages, boats and a swimming beach, and Grimm's Store (from the Laker's "Back in the Day" 2/24/07). Island Park merged with Mound in 1960. It is still called The Island. Streetcar boats on Lake Minnetonka
The restored "Minnehaha" streetcar boat ports in Excelsior and operates during the warmer months. (See the MLM link on this page.) 
The old Sollie Store 1960
This watercolor by Audrey Holmquist Evans, is available from the Westonka Historical Society Visitor Center, as an 8 1/2" X 5 1/2" card suitable for framing. The owners of the Store, Pete and Ed Sollie were uncles of the Andrews Sisters. The Historical Society is thanked for it's work in preserving our past. The Society also has available books on local history. Stop by and talk to them Saturdays from 10:00am until 2:00pm, at 2325 Commerce Boulevard in Mound.
Click here for a little more history.
Local author Tom Rockvam wrote this about the Sollie Store in the 11/11/06 Laker Newspaper: "The third icehouse in Mound was owned by Pete and Ed Sollie. It was located behind their grocery store on the eastern shore of Lake Langdon where Green T Accounting is located today. Unlike the other ice companies, Pete and Ed Sollie bought their ice from the other ice companies; they didn't harvest it themselves."
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. 
Lost Lake Greenway & Pier
May 2006
The Chamber serves "...the six communities of St. Bonifacius, Mound, Minnetrista, Spring Park, Navarre/Orono and Minnetonka Beach.
The mission of the Lake Minnetonka Chamber of Commerce is to be a community resource in partnership with member businesses to maximize success." - For more, click on their logo. 
Navarre is East of Spring Park, and is really part of the City of Orono. All or most of Navarre is in the Westonka school district which ties it closely to Mound, Spring Park and the rest of the district. It was the home of the old Navarre Lanes and its Crib Lounge. There was also Rick's Super Value, now a Lund's, and Magic Cleaners. D'Vincis and Navarre Hardware seen here below, have been there awhile. According to the Water Patrol, the normal Elevation of Lake Minnetonka is 929.4 feet. Gray's Bay Dam controls the Lake's outflow, and helps to accomplish this. Dead Man's Curve
In the 60s and 70s, the bend on Bartlett Boulevard at Highland Boulevard was referred to as Dead Man's Curve. It probably had something to do with the steepness of the road there, and the poor sight lines of the intersection. Over the years there has been at least one upgrade to the intersection. This hill marks the beginning of the Highlands, with its commanding views of Cooks and Priests bays. |
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