The Park That Dover Helped Build: Bertrand Island Park meant fun and profit for generations of Dover residents.

By Marty Kane

For more than 70 years, an amusement park in the hills of northwestern New Jersey provided

summertime fun for the young and young at heart. The roar of the roller coaster, the magic of

the carousel, the smell of popcorn in the air, and the sense that adventure was only as far away

as the next ticket booth … for countless thousands, the place that had all this and more was

Bertrand Island Park.

The history of Bertrand Island Park and Dover was long intertwined. From the financing of

Dover banks to most concessionaires who lived in Dover, and the first trolley service from Dover, Bertrand Island was truly Dover’s amusement park. 

To thousands who grew up in Dover, Bertrand Island Park was the most beloved area attraction. A class trip or family outing to the park was a long-awaited and much-anticipated event for generations of children. Bertrand Island was the first place many local youngsters were allowed to go without parents, and it provided countless area teenagers with a summer job.

Situated on Lake Hopatcong’s eastern shore in the Borough of Mount Arlington, some five air

miles from Dover, Bertrand Island is a peninsula today, but was once an island separated from

the mainland by a narrow channel. 

In 1905, the island was purchased by a group of businessmen with ambitious development plans. The island was divided into 257 lots of about 50 x 110 feet, with about 4 acres at the center of the island reserved for a hotel. 

The group proposed moving one of the casinos used at the 1904 St. Louis Exposition to the island. Their plans also included direct train service to Bertrand Island and steamer service to all parts of the lake. While these grandiose ideas never materialized, the group was responsible for creating a beach on the proposed development in 1905.

The beach quickly became a popular spot for swimming and caught the attention of the Morris

County Traction Company; the trolley line attempted to establish service throughout much of northern New Jersey. Dover was the first town to receive trolley service, with tracks

constructed down Blackwell Street to Wharton in 1904. Like trolley lines across America, the

Morris County Traction Company sought ways to increase use on weekends and determined

that expanding service to the beach at Bertrand Island would provide a perfect weekend

destination. Nationwide, many amusement parks were established at the end of trolley lines for

just this reason. The line expanded west through Mine Hill, Kenvil, Succasunna, and Ledgewood, finally opening to Bertrand Island on Decoration Day (now Memorial Day) in 1910.

Service between Dover and Bertrand Island ran every half hour for most of the day, with the

final departure from the park around midnight. The trip from Dover to Bertrand Island

took about an hour. 

As travelers began to arrive by trolley, food stands and amusements were built near the beach. A large open-air dance pavilion, carousel, and other attractions soon followed. By 1917, the beach at Bertrand Island included a shooting range, water chute, and diving float.

In 1919, Louis Kraus, a teacher from Newark who had operated a summer camping colony at

Prospect Point, acquired the property surrounding the beach at Bertrand Island. Kraus gave up teaching and followed his dream by building a hotel at the lake known as California Lodge.

After a few years operating the hotel as a neighbor to the bathing beach, Kraus saw there

was more of a future in the amusement business than as a hotel owner. When the beach at

Bertrand Island was offered for sale in 1922, Kraus and his partner, Charles Schleicher, acquired it. They then owned all the land that would ultimately become Bertrand Island Park. Kraus built a wooden boardwalk along the lake and, when fire destroyed the old dance pavilion in March 1923, quickly erected an attractive new building, known as the June Rose Ballroom.

Kraus instituted an operating plan that would be the key to the park’s success.

Rather than owning all of the amusements and stands, he rented spaces to concessionaires for

rides, games, and refreshments. This resulted in loyal concessionaires who stayed for many

years, many of whom were individuals from Dover who had ordinary jobs and businesses but

were looking for additional income. Over the years, many of these Dover families were of

Italian descent, with relatives often encouraging family members to set up concessions at the

park. Names such as Tirella, Bucci, Donofrio, Nazzaro, D’Agostino, DeLorenzo, Grant,

Ripatrazone, D’Auria, Weiner, Moran, Schiavo, DeMarino, Pecoraro, and many others would

long be remembered by the park faithful.

Spurred by the addition of attractions, Bertrand Island quickly grew in popularity. The roller

coaster, built in 1925, was the first in northern New Jersey. The 1920s also saw the addition of a Ferris wheel, Dodgem cars, an aeroplane swing, the Old Mill (later renamed the Lost River),

sightseeing boats, the Whip, and more. The famous Illions Supreme carousel arrived in

1937. Various rides and games were added to meet current fads and trends over the years.

While Kraus did not own or operate the rides and games, he was a master of promotion. Beauty pageants became a popular summer event at Bertrand Island during the 1930s, with “Miss Bertrand Island” and “Miss Lake Hopatcong” contests. In 1934, due to the Depression, no Miss America pageant was held in Atlantic City, and a non-sanctioned Miss America Contest at Bertrand Island created much excitement that summer. Another highlight occurred in 1937 when Bette Cooper, who had been named Miss Bertrand Island, was crowned Miss America in Atlantic City. 

Dancing was another popular diversion during the 1930s, and the park’s June Rose Ballroom (later Bertrand Island Villa) featured many of the area’s top bands.

In 1948, still feeling the effects of the Depression and the war years, Kraus decided to sell the

park to three Dover residents: Lorenzo D’Agostino, his son, Ray, and Larry Donofrio, all of

whom had been concessionaires. Recognizing the value of his experience, the new owners

asked Kraus to continue to help manage the park, which he did until he died in 1955.

Following his father’s death in 1969 and Larry Donofrio’s decision to sell his share shortly

thereafter, Ray D’Agostino became the sole owner of the park and would remain so until 1978.

In many ways, the 1950s and 1960s were golden years at Bertrand Island. Locals, summer

residents and folks visiting Lake Hopatcong for the day filled the park, and it was a favorite spot

for school, business, and church outings. While discount nights had been introduced at Bertrand Island during the Depression, in 1950, Mondays and Thursdays were deemed “Nickel Nights.” This provided a tremendous boost in attendance and forever endeared the park to thousands of youngsters, who could arrive with a dollar or two and stay busy all night, as every ride cost just five cents. One of the most popular postwar additions was Kiddieland, which debuted in 1951 and featured rides scaled for children.

While Bertrand Island Park survived the Depression and World War II, the changes occurring in

America during the 1970s were another matter. The existence of an old-fashioned family

amusement park at Lake Hopatcong was quickly becoming unfeasible. The Park faced

competition from larger parks opening across the country, as well as the slowing of the baby

boom. Other regional parks had already succumbed—Irvington’s Olympic Park closed in 1965

and the venerable Palisades Park shut down in 1971. 

After 30 years in charge, Ray D’Agostino became interested in selling. Larger amusement park operators were not interested in acquiring the park as it did not include sufficient land for expansion. D’Agostino finally sold in 1978. While the new owner initially continued to operate the park, development of the land was foremost on his mind. The park’s last season came to a close on Labor Day, 1983.

Over the ensuing years, memories of Bertrand Island Park have remained very much alive for

many. Youngsters of the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s still vividly recall their time spent at

Bertrand Island Park. Memories of the wooden roller coaster, the spectacular carousel, the Lost

River, Boomerang, Nickel Nights, the penny arcade, and more are indelibly etched in the minds

of many North Jersey residents. 

This past November, the Lake Hopatcong Historical Museum and the Dover Historical Society presented a Bertrand Island program that filled the Dover Sportsplex on a Saturday night. While the wood and concrete may be long gone, the park will live forever for those thousands who visited Bertrand Island Park.

Marty Kane is a local historian and owner of Helrick’s Framing in Dover.