Lake Minnetonka Real Estate » Lake Minnetonka Islands » Deering Island

Deering Island on Lake Minnetonka

Deering Island lies in West Arm, south of Shadywood Point and west of Agernes Point, near the connection to Harrison Bay. This private island in Orono belongs to the quieter, connected waters north of the main Upper Lake.

A captain's name

The name recalls Captain Charles W. Deering, whose boat, the Florence M. Deering, carried supplies through Crystal Bay and West Arm. Maritime records place the captain and vessel at the island in 1890. Some records spell the surname Dearing; the familiar island name is Deering.

The supply boat tells something about life on this part of the lake before road travel became routine. Households depended on the water for deliveries as well as for outings, and the captain's home base became a lasting place name.

Private island living

Deering Island is reached by boat. A property here comes with the daily relationship between island and mainland: where the boat is kept, where supplies arrive and how the trip works through the season. The sheltered West Arm setting gives it a different character from an island exposed to the lake's larger open stretches.

To discuss homes in this part of Lake Minnetonka, contact Daniel and Elisha Gustafson.