I DO NOT KNOW WHAT THAT IS.
I DO NOT HAVE TO WORK OUT
AND I HIT 10,000 STEPS A DAY.
I STILL DO THAT BECAUSE I DO
NOT HAVE ANY KIDS.
SOON ENOUGH.
LAKE MINNETONKA MEANS BIG
WATERS IN THE DAKOTA LANGUAGE
IN IS ONE OF OUR MOST
BEAUTIFUL LAKES AND THERE IS A
WHOLE LOT OF HISTORY BEHIND THIS
METRO TREASURE.
GOING OUT TO MATT AND JASON,
WHO ARE STUDIOUSLY STUDYING
THIS HISTORY, GOING THROUGH THE
BOOKS AND TALKING TO THE
PROFESSORS OR MAYBE NOT?
DEEMING BARTENDERS AND
MARINA OWNERS?
I THINK WIKIPEDIA HAS SOME
STUFF.
I FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE A REAL
RESOURCE, YOU KNOW -- YOU ARE A
LAKE MINNETONKA EXPERT CAN WE
START WITH A POP-CULTURE FIGURE
MOST RELATED WITH THE LAKE?
YOU HAVE A LAKE MINNETONKA
STORY?
YES, SO I USED TO WORK AT
DUNN BROTHERS IN EXCELSIOR,
WHICH IF YOU WANT TO KNOW THE
GOSSIP, I AM TELLING YOU GO TO
THE DUNN BROTHERS ON A SUNDAY
AND YOU'LL GET IT.
BUT PRINCE CAME IN AND I DID NOT
TALK TO HIM AND I DID NOT MEET
HIM BUT EVERYONE WAS VERY -- IT
IS VERY EXCITING.
DID HE WEAR PURPLE?
I BELIEVE HE DID.
DID ANYBODY SAY LIKE, PURIFY
YOURSELF WITH THE WATERS OF
LAKE MINNETONKA?
I DON'T THINK SO.
THAT IS TOO BAD.
I THINK THAT JASON IS
REFERRING TO THE ICONIC SCENE
OF PURPLE.
THAT IS RIGHT, WITH
APOLLONIA SAYING TO PREFERRED
PURIFY YOURSELF.
IT IS FAMOUS AND WE WANT TO
THANK EVERYONE WHO HAS TWEETED
AS THE JEFF OF THAT SCENE THIS
MORNING.
I WILL DO IT RIGHT NOW.
VERY GOOD.
WE TALKED ABOUT THE HISTORY OF
HOW LAKE MINNETONKA BECAME SUCH
A DESTINATION BECAUSE EVERYONE
WE HAVE SPOKEN TO OUT HERE HAS
MARVELED THAT PART OF THE
FASCINATION WITH THIS LAKE IS
THE FACT THAT THIS MASSIVE LAKE
IS SO CLOSE TO A METRO AREA.
THERE IS REALLY NOWHERE
COMPARABLE AROUND THE COUNTRY
TO HAVE THIS GIANT AMOUNT OF
ACREAGE, 14,000 ACRES, THE
BIGGEST LAKE IN MINNESOTA AND
IT IS COOL, ONCE THIS PLACE WAS
DISCOVERED BY SETTLERS, NOT THE
ORIGINAL FOLKS WHO LIVED HERE
BUT IT TURNED INTO THIS
PLAYGROUND, IMMEDIATELY HUGE
HOTELS SPRUNG UP OUT HERE, AND
THE SPOT WE ARE ON RIGHT NOW,
IT USED TO BE THE BOAT DOCK FOR
ONE OF THOSE OLD HOTELS.
YOU CAN HEAR THE WATER
SPLASHING UNDERNEATH THE IN
THAT OLD SPOT.
AND AS EARLY AS 1867, THERE
WERE STREETCARS THAT TOOK
PEOPLE FROM -- YOU COULD GO ON
A STREETCAR AT SIXTH AND HAD A
PEN AND TAKE THE STREETCAR EVEN
WITH THE STOPS BUT THEY CALLED
IT A HEIST BREED STREETCAR.
YOU COULD GO HERE IN 45 MINUTES
AND BACK THEN, PEOPLE WERE
WORKING A SIX DAY WORK WEEK AND
THE RAIL LINE WAS ACTUALLY
BUILT WITH ATTRACTIONS OUT HERE
BESIDES THE HOTEL BUT THERE
WERE ALSO AMUSEMENT PARKS OUT
HERE, THE BIG ISLAND AMUSEMENT
PARK.
IF YOU GO TO THAT MINNESOTA
HISTORY CENTER AND LOOKED
THROUGH OLD PICTURES, YOU CAN
SEE ALL THOSE PICTURES OF THE
BIG ISLAND AMUSEMENT PARK WHICH
REALLY WAS NOT TOO FAR FROM
WHERE WE ARE RIGHT HERE.
WE ARE ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF BIG
ISLAND, SO ON THE OTHER SIDE.
THERE WERE ALWAYS TRYING TO
FIGURE OUT WAYS TO GET PEOPLE
OUT HERE AND TODAY WE ARE
SEEING THE REBIRTH OF RAIL IN
THE TWIN CITIES AND HOTELS
ALONG THE LAKES, WITH HOTEL
LANDING.
SO A LOT OF TIMES I GET
QUESTIONS FROM PEOPLE WHO ARE
NOWHERE FROM NOWHERE AROUND
HERE AND THEY ASK IS LAKE
MINNETONKA STILL FROZEN?
I KNOW YOU GOT THAT BEFORE.
IT IS [LOOKS OPEN TO ME.
BUT THE ICE IS INTERESTING.
THEY HAVE BEEN KEEPING TRACK
OF ICE ON LAKE MINNETONKA SINCE
1855, IT AVERAGES AROUND APRIL
14, LITTLE BIT LATER THIS YEAR,
EARLY IN MAY THAT I LOVE THE
WAY THAT THEY USED TO DO THIS.
NOW IT IS FINE.
YOU TRY TO GET A SMALL BOAT
FROM ONE SIDE TO THE OTHER BUT
THE SHERIFF DRIVES AROUND AND
TAKES IT OUT BY YEARS AGO THEY
USED TO TAKE A CARD AND PUT IT
OUT THERE AND IF IT FELL
THROUGH, THAT WAS GOOD ENOUGH.
ICE OUT IS COMPLETE.
THAT IS SMART.
IT IS LIKE THE KATIE STEINER
STYLE.
YOU KNOW?
I DO NOT KNOW WHAT THAT
MEANS.