Back in the day. From left to right: the Lake Park Hotel, later renamed the Tonka Bay Hotel; lake sweethearts Greg Woyland and Bernice O'Brien on Lake Minnetonka; the Tonka Bay Yacht Club (Minnetonka Boat Club).

Photo usage granted by permission from the Minnesota Historical Society. Photo credit: Sweet, Emma Fry.

1853: A CLAIM IS MADE. Peter Gideon puts down roots in what is now known as Tonka Bay. Gideon, an apple farmer, creates an apple that can survive the harsh Minnesota climate. He calls it "The Wealthy" after his wife. Gideon's Bay still bears his name. In another quite different venture, Stephen Hull, wielding his ax, cuts a clearing in the woods which is later named "Hull's Narrows."

1879: A HOTEL IS BORN. Cottages pop up along the shore, and the first of Minnetonka's great hotels is built on Echo Bay across from Big Island. The four-story Lake Park Hotel, above left, with its 200 rooms and grand dining room, charges $2.50 to $3.50 a day. Boating, fishing, dining and tennis draw crowds, who travel by railroad to the popular site.

1901: A CITY SPRINGS UP. A stable population sets up residence and incorporates as Tonka Bay. Located between the upper and lower bodies of Lake Minnetonka, Tonka Bay has more Lake Minnetonka shoreline than any other city of its size — the perfect location for a marina.

1908: A BOAT CLUB FLOURISHES. Boaters and lake lovers continue coming in droves to the Minnetonka Boat Club on Echo Bay, above right, located right next door to the newly renamed Tonka Bay Hotel. Renowned for its luxurious porches, gourmet cuisine, amateur theater and steamboat rides, the hotel sets the stage for Tonka Bay Marina.

Details are a bit sketchy, but somewhere around the late 1920s or early 1930s the Minnetonka Boat Club changes ownership and Tonka Bay Marina develops. Built on the site of the historic Tonka Bay Hotel, the marina becomes the premier location for boating on Lake Minnetonka.

1990: THE MARINA CHANGES HANDS. Gabriel Jabbour purchases Tonka Bay Marina. He adds staff, expands services, improves the facilities and consolidates his marine holdings.

Over the next three decades, the marina adds locations in Excelsior, St. Alban’s Bay, and Shorewood, creating the largest premier marina on Lake Minnetonka.

2023: TONKA BAY MARINA’S main location on Echo Bay (220 Tonka Bay Road), which includes the service department and storage facilities is sold by the Jabbour family after 32 years of ownership to Jay Soule & business partner Randy Schneewind.

Under the leadership of its current owners, Tonka Bay Marina continues to provide the highest level of service and the beauty of Lake Minnetonka to its customers and the lake community.