Minne-Ha-Ha II

During the 1950s and 60s, the Lake George Steamboat Company owned and operated two ships on Lake George, the Ticonderoga (II), a retired navy ship from World War II, and the Mohican (II), a converted steamer (to diesel) who was built by the Steamboat Company during 1907-1908. The Ticonderoga made trips up and down the lake, while the Mohican would make two trips into Paradise Bay.[1] In 1968, with the increasing volume of tourists to Lake George Village, the primary port of the Lake George Steamboats, requests for shorter cruises became more frequent.[2] It became evident that a third boat was needed to satisfy the people who did not have time for the longer cruises provided by the "Mo" and "Ti". Wilbur Dow, the company's owner at the time, wanted to make the boat itself an attraction and it was quickly decided that it should be powered by steam.[2] A sidewheeler was originally considered to keep with the tradition of the older steamboats on the lake, but the ship, at an estimated 100-foot design, would have appeared to be too wide and short.[1] It was then decided to construct a sternwheel steamboat which would debut in the Summer of 1969.

The steamer Minne-Ha-Ha operating on Lake George.

The ship was designed by H.M. Tiedemann Company of New York City.[3] The construction started on October 2, 1968, at the Steamboat Company's shipyard in Baldwin, located near Ticonderoga, New York, at the Northern end of the lake. The hull of the new ship was launched on December 6, 1968, and was towed by the Mohican to the Steel Pier, in Lake George Village.[1] The remainder of the superstructure of the boat was erected there, and completed over the winter months at a cost of $270,000. The new boat was 103 feet long, had a 30-foot beam, and a draft of 3.5 feet. She had a displacement of 200 tons and had a top speed of 7 miles per hour.[1] Wilbur Dow's wife, Ruth, struck the champagne bottle against the boat on July 30, 1969, and the ship was christened Minne-Ha-Ha, meaning "laughing waters".[4] She is the second boat by the Lake George Steamboat Company to have this name, sharing it with a sidewheeler that served from 1857 to 1878.[5]

The ship became so popular over the years that the current owner of the Steamboat Company, Bill Dow, Wilbur Dow's son, decided to modify the "Minne".[6] Since she did not fit the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act, meaning she was not handicapped accessible, along with her difficult navigation because of her low speed, the decision was made to lengthen the vessel.[7] On September 14, 1998, she sailed up to the drydock at Baldwin and her hull was replaced with a new, well-designed and reshaped hull. She was then cut down her mid-section into two pieces, and 34 feet of hull was added to connect these two sections. On December 9 of that year, she was launched back into the lake and was once again towed by her sister ship, the Mohican, back to the Steel Pier, just as she had done in 1968. There, her superstructure was completed, and in late May 1999, her renovation was completed. In addition to her being lengthened and her hull being redesigned, she was also given a handicap accessible elevator to provide access to her second deck. A small propeller powered by a Caterpillar Diesel engine was added in front of her paddlewheel as a backup safety measure to assist the ship in the event that it were to lose steam power, as had happened in the past. The propellor was also added to assist the much larger "Minne" in its difficult docking process and to prevent the ship from becoming beached on large rocks next to her dock due to the lake's strong winds. The Minne-Ha-Ha, however, is still solely powered by her steam paddle wheel during her trip. Her signature twin split-stacks were removed and replaced by a 30-foot-tall sleek, single stack, and her 3 steam whistles were mounted to the new stack. The old stacks are still viewable from their mounted location on the Steel Pier. She retained her steam calliope and plays it after every cruise. A 12 x 20 ft. skylight was added to her top deck. After renovation, the "Minne" is now 137 feet long, with a beam of 30 and a draft of 3 feet and 9 inches. She has a top speed of approximately 8 mph.[7]

The "Minne" continues to operate on Lake George. In 2001, her paddle wheel was rebuilt. After the 2007 season, her skylight was removed and replaced with an elevated seating area, which provides more seats with an escalated view. In 2008, "Happy Birthday" was played on her calliope to honor the 100th birthday of her sister ship, the Mohican.

In 2013, the Steamboat Company revived an old tradition of steamers playing their calliopes as they enter Lake George Village returning to por, in addition to playing it after each cruise. As of 2020, the Steamship Minnie-Ha-Ha II has been in service for 51 years, and operates alongside her two sister ships, the M/V Mohican II, and the M/V Lac du Saint Sacrement.

Since August 1, 1969, the "Minne" has made six hourly trips each day; daily during the Summer months, and on weekends during the Spring and Fall. Due to the boat's popularity, a seventh hour cruise was added over the years, as well as a moonlight entertainment cruise on Saturday nights. The boat's short, slow-paced cruises, showered the new ship with immediate popularity.[8]

The "Minne" currently boasts 3 antique, operating steam whistles mounted on her stack. These whistles include an 8" Crosby 3-Chime, an 8" x 50" single note "Mockingbird", and a 1912 3-Bell Lunkenheimer steam whistle which was originally on the "Iroquois", an Army Corps of Engineers boat on the Ohio River. The "Mockingbird" debuted for the 1970 season, replacing the boat's original 3-chime whistle. The Crosby was added during the 1970's, and the Lunkenheimer was added during the 1998 renovation.

The "Minne" offers authentic steam calliope concerts daily. The calliope can be heard after each cruise, and while cruising down the lake returning to port. The original calliope was built in 1974 by the Frisbie Engine & Machine Co., 1 of 3 calliopes the company made (the other 2 are on the "Natchez" (steam powered) and "City of New Orleans" (air powered)). The Frisbie calliope was replaced by a smaller model in 1993. A brand new calliope was built & installed by Dave Morecraft in 2013.