Time Capsule

The Evolution of Big Island on Lake Minnetonka

Once home to an amusement park and a private veteran’s camp, Big Island now has a public nature park.

In the early 1880s, the Dakota inhabited Big Island on Lake Minnetonka. The 273-acre island was discovered by settlers in 1852. Judge Bradley B. Meeker, the namesake of Meeker County, squatted on Big Island in 1852. In 1856, brothers W.B. and John Morse purchased Big Island. They platted the area known as Morse Island Park in 1887, and many people built cottages on the small lots. Olaf A. Searle built a 20-room colonial-style home on a 125-acre lot in the early 1880s. His home had gas lights and steam heat. The cost of building the home is rumored to have been $250,000. Big Island has had many names over the years, including Meeker Island and Morse Island. The names corresponded to the owners of the island at the time. The name Big Island …

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