Lake Minnetonka, located in Hennepin County Minnesota, expands over 14,000 acres and minnetonka boat cruise reaches a maximum depth of one hundred and thirteen feet. Lake Minnetonka has always been a favorite resort destination, even until today and hosts a large number of fishing tournaments each and every year. Species of fish that can be caught in Lake Minnetonka are sunfish, northern pike, walleye, yellow perch and muskellunge.
Lake Minnetonka was formed nearly 11,000 years ago. Large blocks of ice melted to form Lake Minnetonka, but it only got its name in 1852, from then Minnesota Governor Alexander Ramsey. Minnetonka comes from an American Indian phrase that sounded like minn-ni-tanka, meaning "big water," in reference to the lake. The first known groups of people who settled Lake Minnetonka were Cheyenne, Iowa, Ojibwa and Dakota Sioux Indians. They held the woodlands areas in high regard as a great spiritual place, as well as their burial grounds. Joseph Brown and Will Snelling were the first European people to come to Lake Minnetonka in 1822. In 1853, the Minnetonka Hotel was built not far from the lake, and in 1861 the Governor Ramsey, Minnetonka's first steamboat, was launched. After the civil war Lake Minnetonka became an extremely popular tourist destination, and in 1889 The Minnetonka Yacht Club was formed.
During the 1950s nearly forty one million fish were deposited into Lake Minnetonka with a majority of the fish being walleye fry. In 1976 Lake Minnetonka became a place of research and study when The Gray Freshwater Biological Institute was built on Lake Minnetonka's shores. The institute was later given to the University of Minnesota. There is currently a Museum located near Lake Minnetonka. The museum focuses on Lake Minnetonka, local businesses, Excelsior High School and the Excelsior Amusement Park. The Lake Minnetonka Museum is open from May to September.