Bridges of Lake Minnetonka
Water Wildlife
Now & Then
Lake Facts
On the Water
100
What is the name of the space between bays that bridges go over?
A channel!
100
"Native" v. "Invasive"
What does each word mean"? How are they different?
Native: Originally there.
Invasive: Not originally there, taking over
100
This part of Lake Minnetonka is 273 acres in size (about the size of 273 football fields).
It has been a home to the Dakota, the site of an amusement park and a Veteran's Camp, and now has a nature park.
What is the name of this place on Lake Minnetonka?
Big Island!
100
Which outline is Lake Minnetonka?
100
What is the name for the waves created behind boats?
Boats create wake.
200
How many bridges are there on/over Lake Minnetonka?
a. 16 b. 20 c. 23 d. 27
B - 20
200
How many different kinds of fish are native to Lake Minnetonka?
a. 9 b. 17 c. 22 d. 26
C - 22
Lake Minnetonka's native fish:
black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, muskellunge, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, smallmouth bass, tiger muskellunge, walleye, white crappie, yellow bullhead, yellow perch, bowfin (dogfish), white sucker, central mudminnow, common shiner, golden shiner.
200
What were these boats called?
Bonus q: What was their role on Lake Minnetonka?
Streetcar boats, or "Yellow Jackets" were run by the Twin City Rapid Transit Company. The 6 identical boats connected train stations to city docks all over the lake!
200
How many football fields would it take to cover Lake Minnetonka?
a. 500 b. 1,100 c. 14,500 d. 17,000
14,500 football fields would cover Lake Minnetonka.
Because 1 football field = 1 acre, Lake Minnetonka is 14,500 acres.
200
What is the name for a place many boats are kept?
Bonus q: how many are on Lake Minnetonka?
Many boats are kept in a marina.
Depending on how you count, there are between 15-19. (There are 15 marina businesses, some have more than one location on the lake.)
300
What is the word for the space between the surface of the water and the underside of a bridge. Bonus q: Why does that height matter?
The area shown by the red arrow is the clearance. It matters because...
300
What is the word for adding fish to a lake?
a. stack b. stock c. refill d. mesh
Bonus q: why might people want to add fish to a lake?
To stock a lake means add fish.
For Lake Minnetonka, in Fall 2019, the DNR stocked 77,920 walleye fingerlings and 7,000 walleye yearlings and 3,425 muskellunge fingerlings
300
How many amusement parks have been on Lake Minnetonka?
a. 1 b. 2 c. 3 d. 4
Two amusement parks have been on Lake Minnetonka.
Big Island Amusement Park (1906-1911) and
Excelsior Amusement Park (1925-1973)
300
How deep is the deepest point in Lake Minnetonka?
a. 84 feet b. 97 feet c. 101 feet d. 113 feet
Bonus q: In what bay is the deepest point?
The deepest point in Lake Minnetonka is 101 feet... in Crystal Bay (some sources go as deep as 113 feet, we are trusting the city of Orono)
300
What do you call the markers that are in Lake Minnetonka showing boaters where they should or should not go and, maybe how fast or slow they can go?
A buoy!
400
The tallest bridge on Lake Minnetonka is the second longest.
It is also the longest, which is sort of funny given its name.
What do you think the name of the bridge could be?
The Narrows!
It connects the Upper Lake with Lower Lake Minnetonka, specifically the cities of Orono and Tonka Bay.
400
Can you name one of the top 5 most common birds that call Lake Minnetonka home?
The 5 most common types of birds found in the Lake Minnetonka area are:
Common Loon • Mallard Duck • Canada Goose • Trumpeter Swan • Ring Billed Gull
400
Before 1851, how many Native or Indigenous American Tribes were connected to the Lake Minnetonka area? (Though maybe not all at the same time.)
a. 3 b. 4 c. 6 d. 7
Four. The Dakota (, Cheyenne, Iowa and Ojibwa
Why did it change in 1851? The Treaty of Traverse de Sioux was signed and the US Government took ownership of the land including Lake Minnetonka.
400
Lake Minnetonka is the *** largest lake in Minnetonka.
a. 2nd b. 6th c. 9th d. 13th
Lake Minnetonka is the 9th largest lake in Minnesota.
400
Get your imagination ready...
Use your imagination. What do you see? A shape? Character? A story?