Bertrand Island, New Jersey, is a small

peninsula A peninsula (; ) is a landform that extends from a mainland and is surrounded by water on most, but not all of its borders. A peninsula is also sometimes defined as a piece of land bordered by water on three of its sides. Peninsulas exist on all ...

Lake Hopatcong Lake Hopatcong is the largest freshwater body in New Jersey, United States, about in area. Located from the Delaware River and from Manhattan, New York City, the lake forms part of the border between Sussex and Morris counties in the state's n ...

, part of the community of Mount Arlington. It is best known as the former site of the

Bertrand Island Amusement Park Bertrand Island Amusement Park was located on Lake Hopatcong, New Jersey in the Borough of Mount Arlington, New Jersey. It was actually located on a narrow finger-shaped peninsula, surrounded by water on three sides, that jutted into Lake Hopatcon ...

which existed from prior to World War I as a picnic ground to 1983, as well as being the place of origin for

Bette Cooper Elizabeth "Bette" Cooper-Moore (August 11, 1920 – December 10, 2017) won the Miss America 1937 pageant as Miss Bertrand Island, representing an amusement park on Lake Hopatcong in New Jersey. Early life She was born in Hackettstown, New Jersey ...

Miss America Miss America is an annual competition that is open to women from the United States between the ages of 17 and 25. Originating in 1921 as a "bathing beauty revue", the contest is now judged on competitors' talent performances and interviews. As ...

1937. In 1925, Bertland Island gained in popularity as it offered 20 rides including a rollercoaster and boardwalk games. As the Great Depression hit, Lake Hopatcong's main industry of tourism also took a hit. In, addition, the creation of electric refrigeration, which was the lake's second largest industry also collapsed in 1938. It marked the end of the hotel period. It is shaped somewhat like a

spoon A spoon is a utensil consisting of a shallow bowl (also known as a head), oval or round, at the end of a handle. A type of cutlery (sometimes called flatware in the United States), especially as part of a place setting, it is used primarily for ...

. On the "handle" part there are many upper-class

condominium A condominium (or condo for short) is an ownership structure whereby a building is divided into several units that are each separately owned, surrounded by common areas that are jointly owned. The term can be applied to the building or complex ...

s, built in 2001. Where it gets wide and rounds out is a normal residential area. There is a boating club at the tip of the peninsula. Lake Hopatcong is rather visible from nearly everywhere on Bertrand Island. Scenes from

Woody Allen Heywood "Woody" Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; November 30, 1935) is an American film director, writer, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades and multiple Academy Award-winning films. He began his career writing ...

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...

film ''

The Purple Rose of Cairo ''The Purple Rose of Cairo'' is a 1985 American fantasy romantic comedy film written and directed by Woody Allen, and starring Mia Farrow, Jeff Daniels, and Danny Aiello. Inspired by the films ''Sherlock Jr.'' (1924) and '' Hellzapoppin (1941) ...

'' were filmed on the site. A number of the scenes featuring Tom and Cecilia are set at the Amusement Park, which closed just prior to the film's production. Lake Hopatcong is easily seen in the background.

References

History of Bertrand Island Amusement Park
Landforms of Morris County, New Jersey Peninsulas of New Jersey Former islands of the United States {{MorrisCountyNJ-geo-stub

See also

References