Before 1934 - A PORTABLE ELECTRIC PROPELLER FOR BOATS. Article in Scientific American 1895-09-21. "Briefly described, it consists of a movable tube which is hinged at the stern of the boat, much as an oar is used in sculling. The tube contains a flexible shaft formed of three coils of phosphor bronz. This tube extends down and out into the water, where it carries a propeller, and at the inboard end an electric Motor is attached, which is itself driven by batteries." Invented and sold by the Electric Boat company.

The electric trolling motor was invented by O.G.Schmidt in 1934 in Fargo, North Dakota, when he took a starter motor from a Model A Ford, added a flexible shaft, and a propeller. Because his manufacturing company was near the Minnesota/North Dakota border, he decided to call the new company MinnKota. The company still is a major manufacturer of trolling motors.

Several other trolling motor manufacturers have appeared over the last few decades, including Motor Guide and Rhodan Marine Systems. Motor Guide introduced the Pin Point system using sonar to follow bottom countours. Minn Kota and Rhodan Marine Systems recently introduced wireless trolling motors with integrated GPS systems. The Rhodan GPS Anchor has been demonstrated at trade shows to precisely hold a boat's position within a couple feet in wind and current acting as a virtual anchor.