Back in 1892, entrepreneur Mitchell Nejedlo was captivated by the shoreline of what is now Bay Beach Amusement Park.

He built a dance hall, a bar and a small bathhouse and named it Bay View Beach. Trouble was, it was difficult for patrons to reach the park since it was surrounded by land that was difficult for horses and buggies to navigate.

So it wasn't until he teamed up with Captain John Cusick, who came up with the idea to bring people to the beach via steamboat, that the roots of what is now Bay Beach Amusement Park were formed.