Twin Cities Uncovered by The Arthurs

Author:The Arthurs
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Taylor Trade Publishing
Published: 1996-03-14T16:00:00+00:00

Excelsior

The founders of Excelsior must have been moved by inspiration and hope to have named their community after a word that means “higher” and is used in contexts similar to its sibling “excelsus,” meaning “highest,” pretty much reserved for descriptions of the deity. The optional meaning of excelsior is unacceptable, meaning finely shredded wood used to start fires. The community would not do that.

Excelsior has been around for a long time in the brief history of the Twin Cities. It was the first town on Lake Minnetonka, and some of its first buildings are still there, carefully preserved and in use. Its main avenue, Water Street, speaks almost of another age. The shops along it have kept their old store fronts but have modernized their insides to provide most anything a contemporary person could want. It gives an impression of a restored city but it isn’t: it never deteriorated so it’s never needed restoration. It was on the early railroads and was a terminus of the streetcar network and thus a port for the streetcar boats which were built to resemble the streetcars of the Twin City Rapid Transit Company. The boats plied the waters of the lake, calling at many ports. They were a necessity for some resorts and a pleasure for a Sunday’s activity. The boats lost too many passengers when the network of roads was built. Most of them burned. One sank and has lately been raised and is being lovingly restored by volunteers.

Excelsior had a magnificent amusement park with thrill rides and rifle shoots. There was a rumor that its roller coaster had been condemned as unsafe, but the rumor was untrue and served only to give the riders a bigger thrill. It had a huge dance hall, which was very popular on weekends, a swimming beach, and a marina. It was a well-equipped lake village and still is. And it has inspirational churches, new and old.

Excelsior has indeed moved higher: it serves a large and populous area of upscale and middle-class homes. Its amusement park and marina have given way to lakeside condominiums and restaurants; its dance hall has become doctors’ offices. Swimming beaches have given way to sanitized pools. The Old Log Theater* on the outskirts gives it continuing culture. The streetcar* boats are long gone, but the lake is dotted with sailboats and churned by cruisers, livelier than ever. The restored streetcar boat may return one of these years.

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