Hull’s Narrows

Lithographer Louis Glasser, published by Adolph Witteman Brothers, New York. 1886

Today we're turning our gaze into Lafayette Bay, toward the original "Hull's" Narrows channel. This original 1886 lithograph depicts the steamship City of Saint Louis sailing through the Hull's Narrows channel on its way from Upper Lake. This channel is where the modern Narrows gets its name. You can see just how narrow the channel truly is as the Saint Louis slips narrowly between wooden pilings to keep her from grounding in the shallow, reed filled, waters of the outer channel.

As for the City of Saint Louis. . . It was considered to be one of the finest inland ships of its time anywhere in the United States. Being completed in 1881 in Wayzata, its hull was constructed entirely of American native wood except for the cabin's interior, which was crafted of fine mahogany. At the same time, the City of Saint Louis was also the first inland ship to be electrically lighted. This made her safer and, naturally, less likely to catch fire without the use of lanterns. Unfortunately, having been dismantled in 1898, her short life causes her to be relatively unknown to modern Minnetonka residents. Nonetheless, this ship would have been an icon of her time and famous well beyond the shores of Minnetonka.