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Big Island Park’s <br />Main Attraction <br />Standing here among the crowds on a summer <br />evening in 1907 you could hear some of the most <br />popular tunes of the day. Big Island Park hired <br />big name bands and advertised them widely in <br />Twin Cities newspapers. All of this entertainment <br />was yours for the price of a streetcar ticket to <br />the island. <br />Minnesota Historical Society <br />LAKE <br />MINNETONKA <br />LANDING <br />STAIRS <br />BIG <br />ISLAND <br />N <br />S <br />EW <br />YOU AREHERE <br />ROLLERCOASTER <br />AMUSEMENTSBUILDINGS <br />MUSICCASINO <br />WATERTOWER <br />BATHROOM <br />BATHROOM <br />PICNICKITCHEN <br />PICNICKITCHEN <br />DOCKS <br />BOATHOUSE <br />ICE HOUSE <br />MEN’SDORMITORY <br />WOMEN’SDORMITORY <br />DANCEPAVILION <br />MYSTICCHUTE <br />Ex <br />c <br />e <br />l <br />s <br />i <br />o <br />r <br />- <br />L <br />a <br />k <br />e <br /> <br />M <br />i <br />n <br />n <br />e <br />t <br />o <br />n <br />k <br />a <br /> <br />H <br />i <br />s <br />t <br />o <br />r <br />i <br />c <br />a <br />l <br /> <br />S <br />o <br />c <br />i <br />e <br />t <br />y <br />This postcard view from about 1907 features the <br />main walkway from the wharf up to the casino. <br />The path walked by visitors more than a century <br />ago, through the white-columned pergola, is the <br />same path you’re walking today. <br />It was called the Music Casino, but no <br />games of chance were played here. <br />This 1,500 seat performance hall, with <br />its high-domed ceiling, was designed <br />for big bands and orchestras. Visitors <br />could come and go through the open <br />archways or sit among the trees and <br />listen. After the park closed, the casino’s <br />ruins continued to attract curious <br />visitors until the site was finally cleared <br />in about 1960. <br />Big Island Park <br />1906–1911 <br />Big Island Veterans Camp <br />1921–2003