One of Lake Minnetonka’s most distinguished islands has hit the open market! Gale Island sits off the southern shore of Big Island, toward Excelsior Bay, and carries a history that few casual lakegoers recall.
Despite sitting front and center among the expanse of Upper Lake, this island played a remarkably small role in Minnetonka history—with one exception. The U.S.–Dakota War of 1862 took place in southwest and south-central Minnesota and had the settlers of Minnetonka fearing for their lives. Following reports that Native warriors were approaching Excelsior, the townspeople crowded onto the lake’s only steamboat, the Governor Ramsey, and made for the uninhabited, unowned, and yet unnamed Gale Island. Their plan was to take refuge there, fortify the island, and hope for the best. En route, they were alerted that the warriors had turned away and it was safe to return home.
History doesn’t begin on the island in earnest until 1871, when it was considered to be among the last properties in Hennepin County available for purchase from the U.S. Government. The man to close the deal was Harlow Gale, who bought the entire 3.1-acre property for $2.40. A map produced five years later listed it simply as “Gale’s Island. In 1874, the family built an octagonal home there—one that still stands today, diligently maintained through 150-plus years of ownership. The Gale family retained ownership for the next 65 years, finally selling in 1937…