MERCER ISLAND HISTORICAL SOCIETY Fun and Frolic at Fortuna Park THE ISLAND’S PARTY PLACE (The following was written by the late Hugh Cole, who moved to the Island with his parents in 1916. In 1989, after a career in insurance and real estate, he wrote down his early memories of growing up on Mercer Island. The column was edited by Jane Meyer.) BY HUGH COLE ANY DESCRIPTION OF MERCER ISLAND must include Fortuna Park. It had an impact on the Island which, while not major, added numerous pleasantries for many Island people. A large tract of land, some 40 acres, it had well over 1,000 feet of waterfront and extended back into the forest. It was owned by Captain John Anderson, who also owned the fleet of passenger boats that served the Island and the mainland to the east. The park was located in a bay on the East Channel. Captain Anderson developed the waterfront section back almost to the road into a recreational facility. The land was cleared and graded out into a field for baseball, foot races and picnicking. The beach was sandy, great for bathing, the result of the lowering of the lake level in 1916. A large dance hall was erected between the field and the big yard (formerly lake bottom) at the water’s edge. The terrain had a gentle slope enabling the dance hall to be built with an open daylight basement effect, so under the dance floor, all open to the yard and lake, were kitchen facilities. There was a big, flat-surfaced wood stove for cooking in quantity, and a couple of small stoves for smaller parties. Water was piped to the kitchen and other spots on the premises from springs back in the forest. There were many picnic tables under the hall, out among the trees and on the big front yard. Along the beach, a floating boathouse was moored. It contained many row boats and canoes for rent. The second story provided living quarters for the family of four who took care of the whole place. A swimming float with a springboard and diving platform was anchored out from the beach. To get people out there, Anderson, of course, had the boat system to use between scheduled runs, so he built a substantial dock near the boathouse. A solid dock was a necessity as on weekends large crowds of people came to Fortuna Park, and the passenger boats made many trips during the day and evening. 24 April 2024 Fraternal organizations, the Elks, Masons, Eagles and the Irish, Scottish and Scandinavians and others, including many business firms with large numbers of employees, leased the park for their people and a day of picnics and games, and dancing in the evening. The park often accommodated hundreds of people at these gatherings. All summer long the boats made many trips each picnic day, from docks at Leschi Park in Seattle, carrying people to Fortuna Park, and returning in the evening. Islanders who lived along the waterfront on the north end of the Island always knew when there was a picnic at Fortuna and its approximate size, by the number of trips and the crowds on the passing boats. In the evening, after all was over, the dance orchestra, returning to Seattle on the last boat, could be heard clearly by the residents along the shore, watching the lighted boats go by. That was a pretty sight indeed. If there was a big affair going on at Fortuna, word quickly got around among the young people on the Island, as they knew there would be a large dance band playing in the evening. Since there was no gate charge to get in (the leasing group paid Anderson’s fee) any kid with a car rounded up his buddies and girlfriends to go to the dance that night. When the drive-in gate was closed, it being a private party, they knew where (in the forest) the weak parts in the fence were. They either swung over, or the boys held the fence strands apart so the girls in their wide skirts could step through – no jeans in those days. What fun, dancing with your girl to the big bands until the place closed, then a little smooching on the way home! Jane Meyer Brahm is co-president with Terry Moreman of the Mercer Island Historical Society, one of the oldest organizations on the Island. For more information about MIHS, go to www.mercerislandhistory.org. Back issues of the Mercer Island Reporter are available at: http/mih.stparchive.com.
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