When Bay Beach was a beach News-Chronicle Back in 1892, entrepreneurMitchell 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. Rides including a roller coaster and a Shoot-the-Chutes, an early version of today's flume rides. The area was also popular for swimming, and suits were rented out for 10 cents each. On a busy day, the bathhouse earned as much as $450. In 1908, Cusick engineered a deal to bring train service to the park, and park traffic increased even more. Cusick continued to develop the park, building a boathouse and the pavilion that is still a focal point of the park. A merry-go-round and a new coaster were added, but swimming remained one of the top activities. But by 1933, after only a few decades of serving as Green Bay's only lakefront beach, it was closed by the board of health due to pollution problems. So, the amusement portion of the park was expanded, and numerous rides have been added over the years. Today's park draws more than one million people each season, and in addition to rides and concessions includes volleyball courts, a baseball diamond, horsepits and several shelters that are available for rent. From "Bay Beach Amusement Park, a Pictorial History," a publication of the City of Green Bay Park, Recreation and Forestry Department.