Site of the old Longpre's building. Longpre's was Mound's clothing store in the 70's and perhaps before then. This is the corner of Commerce and old Shoreline, arguably ground zero of the old Mound. The City of Mound has owned this lot since 2001. Doctor Lauer's white building is in the background, and behind it is Crow River Bank, which sits on the site of the old train depot. May 2006

I am looking for a photo I can place on these pages of the old Taystee Freez, location, Busy Corners. Another project is the old Breezy Hill 3.2 Bar located on County Road 110 West at Highland Road. It is now a private residence. Do you have any information about the bar you would like to see on this page? I am also looking for something about the "Mound Visions" plan. Images would be nice. There is also a story about the old Ski Tonka Hill that needs to be told. It was located North East of the intersection of McCulley and Bayside Roads, as I recall.

Three railroads ran East to West in the Westonka area. The Northern one is the current day Luce Line Trail, the Middle one is the Dakota Trail, and the Southern one is the SouthWest Regional Trail. I think it would nice to have a list or map of all the stops along each line. Yes, all three are no longer in service. I believe the nineties was when the last train used the Dakota Rail.

Your contributions of interesting stories, or little knows facts about the area and even corrections would be appreciated. Thank you for visiting these pages. David Greenslit, Mound, Minnesota   email@MoundWestonka.com  

Busy Corners

The corner of Lake and Central Avenues used to be the center of Mound. Lake Avenue is now called Bartlett Boulevard and Central changed to Commerce Boulevard. Kirby's Bait Shop is located on Busy Corners.

"In September of 1876, Mound City had a general store, post office, several homes, two hotels and two boat fleets." - History of Mound, Westonka Historical Society

The Great Northern Railroad reached Mound in 1900. Most agree that this was a factor in moving Mound's center to its current location.

The Rolling Stones and Mr. Jimmy

In 1964, the Stones played a concert in Excelsior. Mick Jagger went to the Bacon Drug Store. Jimmy Hutmaker was standing in line in front of Mick and had ordered a cherry Coke. They were out of cherry juice, so he got a regular Coke instead. Mr. Jimmy shrugged his shoulders and said, “You can’t always get what you want.” That phrase became a Stones hit.

The one of a kind Jimmy Hutmaker was a local institution and a fixture in downtown Excelsior for many years. Bill Verkuilen has made the point that Mick’s reference to “Chelsea Drugstore” is his singing the two middle syllables of “Excelsior.” Place names are often shortened by the locals over time. Perhaps, "SELL SEE drugstore" in this case. According to Mr. Verkuilen,  Jimmy Hutmaker and the pharmacist that served Mick, both confirmed this 1964 event. Mr. Jimmy passed away in 2007.

The Excelsior Amusement Park opened in 1925 and was closed and demolished in 1974.

Lake Minnetonka Fishing Report from OutdoorNews.com

Fish found in Lake Minnetonka include:

Yellow Perch, Yellow Bullhead, White Sucker, White Crappie, Walleye, Smallmouth Bass, Rock Bass, Pumpkinseed Sunfish, Northern Pike, Muskellunge, Largemouth Bass, Hybrid Sunfish, Green Sunfish, Common Carp, Brown Bullhead, Bowfin (Dogfish), Bluegill, Black Crappie, Black Bullhead,  Golden Shiner, - Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. 

Is Langdon Bay part of Lake Minnetonka? It flows into it, and on rare occasions, with a strong East wind, the short unnavigable Langdon Bay Creek connecting it to Lost Lake, flows backwards. The creek has also dried up completely a few times. My office is located on Langdon Bay Creek and I've often wondered if it isn't built on fill? My parking lot is gravel and we keep pulling pipes and old fashioned house radiators out of it. My shoreline is also full of pipe. I would assume the creek always existed but my office may be built on an old marsh that was filled. If the first road was built using a culvert that crossed a marsh, then the argument would be that Langdon Bay was part of Lake Minnetonka, and therefore still is. Langdon Bay is located downstream of Mound's old sewer plant. The plant was dedicated in 1964 and was in service until the late 70s when the sewage was diverted into the metro system. The plant's still there on what we call the Dump Road, but it's now just a pumping station. For years, undefined materials seeped into Lost Lake from the plant. "The fishery is limited by poor water quality and lack of clarity in the lake." - Minnehaha Creek Watershed District (MCWD) The bay is tested on a regular basis by the MCWD. Lake Langdon has an abundance of phosphorous probably as a leftover from the sewer plant. The phosphorous is more or less permanent (it does not break down) and likely causes excessive plant growth. As I see it, the bay's phosphorus level is too high by a factor of 2 or 3 despite its being treated with a relatively high dose of Alum in 1998. Here is my take on one reason the Alum treatment wasn't a effective as desired. The Alum encapsulates the phosphorus which now lays on the bottom of the bay. Unfortunately, plants still grow in the muck and suck in the phosphorus. They transport the phosphorus up their stems to their leaves, they then die, thus liberating the phosphorus when their plant material breaks down. The bay has a positive effect on Lake Minnetonka, in that it keeps most of its phosphorus out of it. I would eat very few fish per year caught from the bay. But given enough time, I think the bay will recover as the phosphorus slowly washes out of it. The herons (blue or dark colored) and the egrets (white colored) don't seem to mind.

The above picture is a blue heron that was fishing in the bay in June of 2006.

A primitive boat launch (pictured here) requiring four wheel drive for the bay is provided free by Tulberg & Greenslit, PAs to all users except commercial and non-emergency governmental entities. It is at 2567 Commerce Boulevard, Mound, Minnesota. Because of the unusually low bay levels, caution is urged. Wade out as far as your trailer will have to go, to check the firmness of the bottom before you back in.

Directions to Lake Access Points including: Lake Minnetonka Regional Park, Centerview Beach, Coffee Channel, Maxwell Bay, North Arm Bay, The Narrows Channel, Nelson Lakeside, Kings Point, Carson's Bay, Halsted's Bay, Zimmerman's Pass, Spring Park Bay, Cooks Bay Beach, Tonka Bay, Wayzata Bay, Gray's Bay, Gray's Bay Dam, Little Long Lake, and Whatetail Lake, are available from the City of Orono. Click: HERE.

"Located in Mound and Minnetrista, Minnesota, Saunders Lake provides many recreational opportunities including fishing, boating, kayaking, canoeing and more." Click on the logo for more.
The East and West parts of the Lake Saunders neighborhood are connected by a bridge that looks a lot like a dock. There was some concern over whether the bridge was somehow bad for the lake? The bridge is in place, and offers a nice view of the lake. You can walk to it from a small public parking lot on North Saunders Lake Drive. The Lake connects to Langdon Bay, and overflows into it through a series of ditches and culverts.

Saunders Lake retains a lot of its woodsy character even after the development of its South and East sides. The old Dakota Rail trail from Westedge Boulevard to Country Road 110 West also has a good view of the lake. Parking is available at either end of this section of the trail. You can park right on Westedge or at the WRA park on 110. Look for what appears to be an eagle’s nest along your walk, and for the farm overlooking the lake. You will see a peninsula jutting out into the lake, but it is owned partly by Minnestrista and partly by an individual. This walk illustrates that Westonka is on the urban/suburban boundary, and to be honest, spends a lot of its time dealing with the implications of that. - Map of the hike

Mound Marketplace which includes: Mound Tobacco, Jubilee Foods, Scotty B's Restaurant, Dailey's Pub, Subway, Caribou Coffee, The Pond Arena, Carbone's Pizzeria, Harbor Wine & Spirits, Anytime Fitness, Sunrays, Mound Eye Clinic, and Great Clips.

They are located on the site of the old Mound High School, which later became the old Junior High School. If you walk to the West side of the property, all the way to the hill, you call see remnants of the old football field stands. In the background you can see the Harold J. Pond Sports Arena which is also called, the Pond. It along with the new Thaler Arena up at Westonka High School, provide the area with the needed ice time for its hockey programs.

"Located on picturesque Whaletail Lake in Minnetrista, Gale Woods is a 410-acre park that features a working educational farm. The farm provides opportunities for visitors of all ages to enjoy experiences that enhance their understanding of agriculture, food production and land stewardship. Come out and explore the park on your own, schedule a visit for your group or attend a public program." Click on the picture for more from Three Rivers Park District

For more pictures of Mound Westonka Minnesota: Click Here