BALBOA PENINSULA HISTORY
THE
BALBOA ISLAND FERRY
IN NEWPORT HARBOR
Since 1919, the Balboa Island Ferry has provided continuous service between Balboa Island and the Balboa Peninsula. Just inside the entrance to the Balboa Village, you’re ready to step aboard the Balboa Island Ferry, taking you to and from quaint Balboa Island. The Balboa Island Ferry is the only ferry of its kind in Southern California, and one of the oldest continuously operating ferry services west of the Mississippi River. Similar ferries, such as the Coronado Ferry in San Diego and one that ran from San Pedro to Terminal Island, have shut down. In 1919, residents on the island lobbied the city for better ferry service. A local resident, Joseph Beek, was the only bidder who also happened to own a boat and thus, he won a contract for $50 per month to run the business. A quick history on Joseph Beek: Balboa Island might as well have been called Beek’s Island. Joseph A. Beek, was “one-of-the-first” when it came to almost everything. Beek first came to Balboa to pay for college by selling lots on Balboa Island. Eventually owning his own real estate office on Balboa Island, he co-developed Beacon Bay and Harbor Island. In 1907, he became the first harbor master. In 1919 he officially started the Balboa Island Ferry and founded the Balboa Island Yacht Club. He was one of first supporters of an early hospital called the Newport Beach Hospital. He was one of the early directors of the Newport Balboa Federal Savings and Loan Assn. He was one of the city’s first library trustees. Joseph Beek did a lot of things for the advancement of the still small, mostly transient city of Newport Beach his family name has been intertwined with Newport Harbor ever since. The Ferry can be accessed from either the Balboa Peninsula side or from Balboa Island, as bridges connecting the ‘mainland’ to the island were built in 1919, and offer easy access from either route. The Balboa Ferry is steeped in history, making its first appearance in 1909. In 1915, Beek purchased the boat known as “The Ark,” and began 86
