Wayzata Boulevard is now open to the museum.
In October of 1859 Norman Stone hired the sailing ship 'White Swan' to move his family (wife and children) from their land near West Arm to Minnetonka Mills. Ship owner Mr. Loveland, Nathan Butterfield and Stone's hired hand, Robert McKenzie, who was then 17 years old, loaded the ship, but found themselves in a fall storm. They waited in North Arm until the weather calmed. It cleared up at midnight and Mr. Stone wished to proceed. They rowed across a calm North Arm into Crystal Bay where they found some wind. They hoisted the sails and made good time and entered the main lake. They sailed past Starvation Point (Orono Point) and found quite a gale. Before they could loosen the sails, the boat listed to the starboard and took in water. Mrs. Stone and the children slid off the boat on the mattress they were on and Mr. Stone attempted to save them and lost his grip. He slipped under the water and the rest of the family slipped one after the other under the water. It was one and a half hours before sunrise. The boat drifted east and then was blown southeast. Mr. Loveland and then Nathan Butterfield lost their grips on the boat and slipped under the water. Robert McKenzie walked back and forth along the hull of the boat until it grounded in St. Louis Bay. Robert wandered along a cattle path until he found a pioneer cabin. Robert McKenzie survived and lived near the east end of the lake for many years.
Open Saturdays 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
G. A. and Helmer Gunnarson moving canoe. In 1934 the Gunnarson family discovered a dugout canoe as they were extending their dock on North Arm Bay. The canoe was recently dated to 1025 - 1165 A.D. making it the oldest dugout canoe found in Minnesota. It is going on display at the WHCPA Museum in Long Lake, Minnesota. See the full report at the Maritime Heritage Minnesota website. A print of this photo is available here.
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Now you can search our Index of over 29,000 Family File images. These images have been scanned from our family files and tagged by volunteers so they are computer searchable.