Kelsey’s “Indian Girl,” One of Fastest on Lake, to Make Regular Trips.
The “Indian Girl,” a new power boat, built by its owner, John W. Kelsey, was launched in Lake Bemidji Wednesday afternoon. The boat has made several trial trips and proved a leader on Bemidji lake.
Equipped with a thirty horse power Smalley engine, the “Indian Girl” can be driven at a rate of fifteen to eighteen miles an hour. It will conveniently carry twenty passengers.
The new boat will be for public use and Mr. Kelsey will cater especially to private picnic parties and others wishing to be taken to points on the shores of Lake Bemidji and down the Mississippi river to the Warfield Dam. His boat will be in readiness at all times at the city pier.
The “Indian Girl,” will carry & large number of life preservers, and will never leave without having enough to supply every passenger on board. It is built along the lines of a racer and is considered one of the most graceful boats on the lake. Mr. Kelsey has made many boats and launches that are in use on Lake Bemidji. He has made it a practice to build only the best grade of boats. Among those who own boats built by the Kelsey Boat company of Bemidji are, J. E. Youngren, Del Burgess, Lee LaBaw, H. M. Stanton, and many others. (Bemidji Daily Pioneer, June 23, 1911)
Among the better boats are those owned by John Kelsey, “The Beltrami,” a new $4,000 boat he has built this winter, when completed will be the very finest of its kind in northern Minnesota. The “Indian Girl” is another Kelsey boat. The Storm King, the Yankee Doodle and launches owned by A. P. Chandler, A. A. Warfield, Harry Masten, F. S. Lycan, M. S. Gillette and Gill Brothers are among the high class boats that will be seen on Lake Bemidji. (May 1911)
John W. Kelsey, proprietor of the Kelsey Boat yards, has installed in his boat, the Indian Girl, a new 15 horse power Campbell engine. The boat has been out of regular service for the past two weeks but will again assume its duties as a passenger boat on the waters of Lake Bemidji. The boat is especially adapted for private picnic parties and its owner believes that it is one of the most serviceable boats on any of the lakes in Northern Minnesota. It is 32 feet long and is built on speedy lines. The engine is of four cycle type and drives the boat swiftly. (Aug 26, 1911)
Indian Girl Damaged.
A back-fire in the carburetor of the engine in Captain Kelsey’s “Indian Girl” yesterday afternoon caused a small damage to the boat. The flames set fire to some gasoline and the woodwork was slightly damaged. (May 8, 1912)
Indian Girl in Commission.
Captain Kelsey’s “Indian Girl” will start its summer season tomorrow morning when it will make its first trip to the Warfield dam at 9 a.m. Each day during the summer, the Indian Girl will leave the city dock at 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. making the round trip to the dam each time. The schedule has been so arranged that picnic parties can go down in the morning and return about 5 p. m. or parties can go down in the afternoon and spend two hours at the dam. Fishing down river has been good this year and large strings of pike and rock bass are being caught daily Captain Kelsey says that the “Indian Girl” will stop anywhere along the river to discharge or receive passengers. (May 25, 1912)
John W. Kelsey left this morning for Federal Dam, where he will spend several days looking after his boat livery, which he is conducting on the chain of lakes near that place. Mr. Kelsey has taken his boat, the “Indian Girl” to that town and expects to do business there throughout the coming summer. (June 15, 1912)
Mr. Kelsey was a boat builder by trade and made his home In Bemidji for about 18 years, building boats and also operating boats on the lake here. He moved to Federal Dam about four years ago. He died on August 16, 1918.