from web site
Balboa isle owners struggled for years with bad roadways, flimsy pathways, drains that put directly into the bay, and a wall so insufficient that houses were regularly flooded by high tides. By 1911, frustration penetrated the island, and owners left, fed up with insufficient services. Ignored houses dotted the island, and lot prices fell to as little as $325.
He distributed 8,000 pamphlets nationwide in addition to promoting locally. He achieved success, and thousands concerned delight in races, trips, food, and parades. Lots started offering again. Soon, Collins had actually sold 700 Balboa Island lots, developing it as one of Newport Harbor's preferred property and recreational locations. The island grew gradually in the beginning, however in 1916, it entered into the City of Newport Beach.
The BIIA was an encouraging force in working with the City on bulkhead repair, ferryboat service, a drain system, water, gas, electrical power, paved streets and sidewalks, and street lighting. In those early days of 1919, water for the Island came from the famous "Wooden Water Tower" constructed on Agate Street, removed in 1929.
People had outhouses behind their homes as there was no sewage system, and some buried their trash in uninhabited lots. In 1920, a gas energy pertained to the Island offering heating, cooking, and lights. Joseph Beek, while still a student at Pasadena City College, was captivated with the location, and turned into one of Collins' salespersons.
In 1919, Joe got the first contract for a ferry between the Island and Balboa Peninsula. In 1920, the first cars and truck was pressed across the bay (for 10 cents). In 1922, Joe Beek got a 15-year franchise, using the ferry boat "Joker", which might hold two cars. That franchise has actually continued to this day, with 3 64 feet (20 m) boats, named "Admiral," "Captain," and "Commodore," that can each carry three vehicles.
By 1921, houses were beginning to complete the Island and Balboa Peninsula. A Good Read to the Newport Harbor location were still largely undeveloped, and numerous individuals still shown up by rail to the peninsula and took the ferryboat over to the island. Although the first bridge from the mainland to the island's North Bay Front was integrated in 1912, it was not capable of carrying automobiles until 1929, when it was refurbished.