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WELCOME TO <br />Big Island <br />Nature Park <br />This island holds many stories— <br />some going back centuries, others <br />from recent memory. Today you’ll <br />see a landscape partly reclaimed by <br />the woodlands that once flourished <br />here. You’ll also see remnants of <br />century-old walkways and building <br />foundations. These mysterious <br />artifacts open a window to the <br />history of the island. Starting here, <br />on the landing and stairs in front of <br />you, imagine crowds of steamboat <br />passengers stepping off the wharf <br />into a wonderland of amusements <br />and scenic beauty. <br />On warm summer weekends, Big Island Park (1906–1911) <br />could attract up to 15,000 visitors a day. The park featured <br />live music, picnics on the grass, carnival rides, and evening <br />walks on lighted trails. <br />Big Island Veterans Camp (1921–2003) offered <br />Minnesota veterans a welcoming and affordable place <br />to vacation with their families. In its heyday in the 1950s <br />and ‘60s, the camp served up to 250 families a season. <br />He <br />n <br />n <br />e <br />p <br />i <br />n <br /> <br />H <br />i <br />s <br />t <br />o <br />r <br />y <br /> <br />M <br />u <br />s <br />e <br />u <br />m <br />Westonka Historical Society <br />In early spring, while there was still ice on the lake, <br />Dakota from nearby villages camped on this island <br />they called Wíta Táŋka to collect maple sap for <br />making sugar. <br />In <br />d <br />i <br />a <br />n <br /> <br />S <br />u <br />g <br />a <br />r <br /> <br />C <br />a <br />m <br />p <br />, <br />S <br />e <br />t <br />h <br /> <br />E <br />a <br />s <br />t <br />m <br />a <br />n <br />, <br /> <br />1 <br />8 <br />4 <br />9 <br />– <br />1 <br />8 <br />5 <br />5 <br />, <br /> <br />L <br />i <br />b <br />r <br />a <br />r <br />y <br /> <br />o <br />f <br /> <br />C <br />o <br />n <br />g <br />r <br />e <br />s <br />s <br />Big Island Nature Park, opened in 2008, <br />features 56 acres of hardwood forests, <br />wetlands, grasslands, and some of the <br />longest stretches of undeveloped shoreline <br />on Lake Minnetonka. <br />Fl <br />i <br />c <br />k <br />r <br /> <br />/ <br /> <br />C <br />h <br />u <br />c <br />k <br /> <br />K <br />i <br />n <br />g