A postcard of the Excelsior Bay Hotel Lake Minnetonka, Minn. "The Excelsior Bay Hotel—facing the Lake—bounded by Lake St., Water St., and Second St."It has a sign "Old Fashion Southern Fried Chicken and Fresh Fish Dinner Served Here Daily from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m." The Co—Mo Company, Post Cards, Minneapolis is on the back. The first hotel standing at this site—on a gentle hill (no longer there) about 100 feet west of the intersection of Lake and Water Streets was called the Galpin House. Excelsior's legal voters held their first meetings there and on Sundays church services were also held there. It was sold twice first to John Green then back to Galpin then to Ed Bickford and then back to Galpin. He enlarged it but it was destroyed by fire in 1867. It was rebuilt in 1870 the Galpin part became the kitchen of a new hotel called the Excelsior House. It was 3 stories and on the lake side a large veranda on each story. In the 1870's it was managed by James Letson. In the mid 1880's Mrs. H.F. Wait and son Wallace owned and ran it. Fire destroyed most of it on Jan. 1887. Next to build on the site was Dr. George La Paul with the La Paul House. It catered especially to Southern visitors——hiring Negro waiters and provided 4 cottages on the grounds to house the servants of the elite guests. In 1918 The La Paul opened as the Goodrich House named for its new owner and in 1920 when R. Golden became the proprietor it was called the Excelsior Bay Hotel with a miniature golf course built on the grounds. On Dec. 5, 1928 fire partly destroyed the hotel and in 1929 Golden demolished the hotel. It was the 4th and last hotel on that site. ("Lake Minnetonka's Historic Hotels")

Lake Minnetonka Hotels

Card, Cabinet

13.9x8.8 cm

Excelsior, MN

4450.00

Excelsior—Lake Minnetonka Historical Society Photograph Collection

2966.00

SP—HO7

39596340

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Excelsior—Lake Minnetonka Historical Society
Copyright 2011, —— This image may not be reproduced for any reason without the express written consent of the Excelsior—Lake Minnetonka Historical Society send comments, questions to Info@elmhs.org

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