Lake Minnetonka Real Estate » Lake Minnetonka Islands » Lighthouse Island

Lighthouse Island on Lake Minnetonka

Lighthouse Island sits off Deephaven in St. Louis Bay, near the entrance to Carsons Bay. It is one of the lake's most recognizable sailing places, closely associated with the Minnetonka Yacht Club and Lake Minnetonka Sailing School.

An island made for lake life

Unlike the lake's natural wooded islands, Lighthouse Island was created from dredged material. Its history belongs to the period when shore improvements and channels were reshaping this part of the Lower Lake. Nearby Bug Island shares that history of a shoreline changed by dredging.

The Minnetonka Yacht Club was founded in 1882. Its island clubhouse, designed by Harry Wild Jones, became a gathering place for sailors. The building burned in 1943, and its replacement opened the following year. The dates given for the original clubhouse's opening differ among historical accounts, but the club's long connection with the island is clear.

A sailing landmark

The island continues to serve organized sailing and instruction. It is not a public park, and access follows the arrangements of the club and sailing school. From nearby waterfront homes, the activity on the water is part of the setting: lessons, racing and the familiar movement of sailboats between the bays and the open lake.

The name alone does not establish that a working lighthouse once stood here. The documented story is the island's creation and its place in more than a century of Lake Minnetonka sailing.

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