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How did Coney Island get its name? There is no definitive derivation of the name. While some accounts trace the origin of the name back to the surname of early Dutch settlers in the area, or even to Henry Hudson's right hand man, there is considerable evidence that the name "Coney Island" only came into use in the first half of the 19th century when a bridge was completed and scheduled ferry service begun to the island.

In fact, at various times what we know now as Coney Island, was three or more islets (tiny islands) with names like, Pine Island, Pelican Island, and Sedge Bank. And on some early maps, an Indian name "Narrioch" is recorded for the Western portion of the island. So the evidence notwithstanding, here are the six most popular explanations for why Coney Island is called Coney Island, you choose the one you like best:

1. The original Dutch name "Konjn" first evolved to Conyne by the English and later to the easier sounding Coney. Konjn is the Dutch word for rabbit. While there really were rabbits on the island during the 18th and 19th centuries, they were the domesticated variety, surely not the wild rabbits that might have inhabited the island when the first mariners visited it. So we learn that "Konijn" was corrupted by English settlers to "Coney."

2. Another account places the name on the island as a pejorative for the Indian inhabitants - when the Dutch battled them in the 1640's, "they ran like rabbits."

3. Another theory is that the name refers to a topological feature reported only by early mariners. On a portion of the island lacking shelter of any kind, a low delta about a mile and a half long by half a mile wide, wind had blown the sand into truncated cones. Thus the name �Coney� used as an adjective described the island's appearance.

4. Then there's a judge named Egbert Benson who in a report to the New York Historical Society in 1816, argued that �Coney� came from "Conyn" the name of a Dutch family that once lived at the beach.

5. A 1924 manuscript ascribes the name to an Indian band, the "Konoh" or Bear tribe, that once inhabited the area.

6. And finally some attribute the name to one John Coleman, a petty officer on Henry Hudson's 1609 voyage into New York harbor, who was allegedly killed by Indians as he landed on the island. Then the name �Coleman's Island� was presumably corrupted to �Coney Island� although why English settlers would mangle a perfectly pronounceable name is not explained.

This was and is the main Stillwell Avenue Station of Coney Island.
Of course, it's been modernized and is currently undergoing a renovation.
Reason? Coney now has its own baseball team, the Brooklyn Cyclones.
And we want to make everything just spiffy for all the guests visiting us.

Of course the station has changed somewhat but the main structures above are still there. Now with the new minor league stadium on the island, this station will be modernized. I remember, even as a child, getting off the train here and the senses wake up with new smells: the ocean, the foods, the people; that famous line still is: "Where the ocean meets the sand, that's where magic begins." And magic it was: franks, frenchies, mustard, root beer, frozen custard, cotton candy, jelly apples ... all in front of you saying that life is good.

And out on Surf Avenue, the main street of Coney Island, the sound of vendors, hawkers (today a few hookers), and the screams of riders on the famous Cyclone Roller Coaster.

Unlike other amusement parks, Coney Island wasn't just built on any available cheap piece of land that they could find. Coney is built on one of the most exciting waterfront areas of the world. Its position, which is a natural jetty off of the most southern corner of Brooklyn into the Atlantic Ocean, is vivacious and crackles with life. The wind rips off the ocean surf adding the perfect ambiance for an exciting day of sun and surf. music, boats, planes, and periodically even the US Air Force converge on Coney Island all at once, adding to the newly refurbished boardwalk exiting activity. And with a beach that stretches out for miles, one can verily have some uniquely international experiences. Nearly every language can be heard on the beaches, and every style of food and drink available in its storefronts. In fact, it is rumored that Coney Island sports one of the most famous and best pizzeria's in New York. On Jewish Holidays Kosher food can be found, and walking east along the boardwalk we come to the Russian restaurant delicacies. And lets not forget Nathans - NUFF SAID.

Boardwalk and beach looking west � one obvious change is the clothes.

I remember the time when walking on the boardwalk with chest uncovered would get a warning from the police that such doings was not permitted. Today bra-less can be found on the beach but we always look aside (smile). Looking at the way our friends are dressed above, could you actually imagine a serious infraction? What went on under the boardwalk was another story and I've seen some humorous books written on that subject; one I think was called "Under the Boardwalk." We always live with the question of what is revealed and what is concealed; happens to be an important religious concept.

In the background you can see what is now the Coney Island pier and some of those stands on the right are still there selling all the goodies mentioned above. We now have the New York Aquarium on the boardwalk between West 5th and West 10th Streets (entrance also on Surf Avenue). The original Dreamland amusement park was on a 2-block section of this site. Walking east along the boardwalk we find many new Russian restaurants between Brighton 4th and Brighton 6th streets. We find this today; no Russian restaurants in the Coney Island we see in these pictures.

Years before Coney Island attracted contemporary crowds seeking thrills and basking in the sunshine, a more sedate resort with turreted hotels and a pristine beach greeted throngs of visitors. Around the corner, so to speak, from a densely urban Manhattan was this island, an enticing world of new activities replete with recent inventions and developments which implored the eager visitors to sail on the mighty excursion steamships and be soothed by breezes on the upper deck, or speed through the Brooklyn countryside over newly laid rails in open-sided cars towed by wood-burning steam engines.

Traveling on bikes west along the boardwalk.
This along with walking and jogging is a favorite sport.
Compare the dress code here and in the picture below; my how times change.

Boardwalk is two and a half miles from Bay 1 to Sea Gate, making it a 5 mile round trip walk or jog. It's named after Edward Riegelmann, the borough president of Brooklyn when Brooklyn was incorporated into the City of New York. He had a lot to do with opening a free boardwalk to be used by the people. His battle was always against a politician we'd all like to forget, the infamous John McKane. And today, the Riegelmann Boardwalk gets plenty of use. With the exception of the oldest part of the boardwalk (where the rides are), Russian is the primary language (Russians think Brighton Beach is the capital of the USA.

We are health addicts here in Brighton Beach, and at one time the community had the largest percentage of senior citizens in the world. Must be that delicious air coming in from the Atlantic, swimming in the salty surf, and running or walking on that boardwalk (running the boards); the summer breeze really is delightful.

For the five percent of the population that was very rich, private parlor cars with a decor similar to that found in their mansions, their "cottages," or lavishly furnished yachts, would travel to exclusive confines in Manhattan Beach or Sheepshead Bay. And men who owned the transportation and the hostelries were often of the same class, so they were anxious to please their peers. They took the time and effort to guarantee exquisite appointments. Industrialization had not yet overwhelmed the nation. Life could still be enjoyed at a leisurely pace.

Wishing to avoid spending the several dollars for lodging, middle class and working class tourists, the largest group of visitors, with additional disposable income and a new free half-day on Saturday, visited Coney Island for the day. There was Julian Ralph, a prominent Brooklyn journalist of the period, who marveled in Scribner's at that small fact, taken for granted today. How grand an acquisition it is for us to possess a beach to which we can go in an hour at the cost of twenty-five cents, to get a new environment and have old ocean's pure tonic breath blow the cobwebs out of your brain, and then as the chronicler saith, "get home at a reasonable time."

The earliest visitors sailed on the steamship lines that plied between Manhattan and Coney Island in the summer months; some came from further points, such as New Jersey, Connecticut or The South. Wealthy Southern landowners, accustomed to holidays at spas, sailed in sloops from Virginia and the Carolinas to New York. Later, trains met ferries or steamers at Fulton Landing, 9th, 36th, 65th Streets, Greenpoint or Long Island City. Brooklynites, who didn't need a boat, usually relied on the sooty trains or the sluggish horse cars. Travel to Coney Island provided so many transportation alternatives.

Boardwalk and beach looking east ... even on a cloudy day it was busy.
We see an overlook with fine stonework, a first-aid station, and a pavilion
Pavilions still exist and are fine places to sit with friends when shade is wanted.
But that damn Sunkist sign bothers me ... me thinks it's just too overwhelming.

Yes, all the socio-economic classes were confronting a new era ... a destruction of their values, of the mores, of what they could accept as "standard." And foremost among these changes was the concept of pleasure.

Pleasure in Coney Island in the nineteenth century lay in both relaxation and a modicum of excitement for the generally industrious, pious urban population. The beach, forever at our perimeters, was ignored at first because it was too difficult or costly to reach. Most city folk, long accustomed to visiting saloons and pleasure gardens for their leisure activities, generally thought little of the beach. Suddenly, cheaper, safer transportation provided by the train made the beach accessible, and visitors found it was fun.

This was before my time; that I can tell from those very revealing suits

This is what girls' swim suits were like many moons ago. Men's suits were equally concealing. In fact, it was a summonsable offense for a man to be walking on the boardwalk with bare chest. However I certainly do remember those ropes. On one end they were anchored in the sand near the edge of the surf and stretched out to a floating barrel anchored in the water (with a real boat anchor, I suppose). I remember the elderly women (being in the 50's was elderly at that time) splashing water on their bathing suits, expressing delight and saying "ay iz ah mechaya" (oh it's a pleasure). I don't know what the pleasure was; I guess it was pretty hot down there.

Residents of the cities of Brooklyn and New York (that's right, Brooklyn was a city) enjoyed promenading on the clean, firm sands. They were enthralled by the world of charlatans that soon gathered there, and they became excitedly repelled by the exhibition of freaks. They were dismayed by the crime and corruption; and were enamored of the music star of the day; the conductor of a brass band, its star soloist or an international singer.

A renowned cornetist, such as Jules Levy, received $500 a week, which attests to his popularity in a day when average weekly working class salaries were only $10. In days before mass entertainment jaded the populace, listening to a popular band conductor strike up the brass for a favorite operatic air thrilled the crowds. The strains of the music transported them to locales that they could never hope to visit or that reminded them of their homelands; they fantasized over melodies they could seldom hear in their daily lives.

Boardwalk and beach looking east ... Brighton Beach in the background.
Land jutting to the right is the beginning of today's Manhattan Beach.
Red and white building on the beach is a first-aid station.

Indeed, Coney Island satisfied their sensual pleasures as well as their world of fantasies. "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." And like the Parisians, Coney Islanders were standing on a precipice of history. By the opening of the 1890's, the island had the most varied and efficient transportation system ever developed. We went from horse cars, to a monorail, to electric trolleys, to battery-operated vehicles; with five major railroads leading into it; three major roadways; a durable steamboat service; several of the most luxurious grand hotels in the East; and the most modern technological innovations created; the nucleus of the greatest amusement rides ever developed on the banks of the most beautiful beach in America.

This little island also had the finest race tracks in the country, possibly the world, and accessibility to the biggest surge in participatory sports interest until today. Coney Island attracted the richest Americans, and the poorest; the most colorful innovators; the most corrupt government; the most effective reformers. It had the greatest freedom and the most repression. It was all things to all people. To the visitors, it was delirium. It was the quintessential urban resort.

 
Judging from the dress, I'd say these are more recent pictures.
But notice the crowds, blanket-to-blanket people; where's the sand?

Let's go back to 1940; even I don't believe this.
I remember wall-to-wall blankets, but never wall-to-wall people.
The first turn of the Cyclone is in the background, between the trees.
And to the left of it you can see the top car of the Wonder Wheel.

Tidbits on Deno's Wonder Wheel (above picture is 1975) ... it stands 150 feet tall as the centerpiece of the Coney Island Amusement area. Located just off the boardwalk, this amazing attraction includes 16 swinging passenger cars and 8 stationary cars that give riders a panoramic view of the Atlantic Ocean, the Jersey shore and the NYC skyline.

It was built in 1920 by the Eccentric Ferris Wheel Company using 100% Bethlehem Steel forged right on the premises. The 18 co-owners worked as construction men to insure quality throughout the building process and has maintained a perfect safety record for its entire history. In fact, each year the entire 400,000 lb. ride is overhauled and painted to protect it from the elements of weather, wear and tear; and in 1989, it was named an official NYC landmark.

Let's see now, we subtract 1969 from the current year, then add the age of the kid in the stroller (would you say two?), and there we have it. Have what? We have her current age ... and Alice is no more kid, but then neither am I. Her comment was that "it was another odd, interesting thing you only see in Coney Island" ... and I'd say she's right. Thank you, Alice, little girl in the stroller.

Looking east on the boardwalk with Brighton 4th Street on the left along side that building. The boardwalk side of that building now has some of the more well known Russian restaurants (some are catering halls) in Brighton Beach: The Volno, Tatiana, The Moscow, and The Winter Garden.

Interesting to note the dress code in the 1940's. Nobody then would dare walk on the boardwalk shirtless or without shoes. The police would stop you and tell you to get dressed. Today? As long as you at least have a bathing suit on.

And now that parade ... I'm not going to go into any details about this Mermaid Day Parade; I've seen it once or twice and I'll gladly leave it for others to enjoy. It's a silly thing, Chamber of Commerce stuff (like the fireworks every Friday night), and if I were 16 maybe I'd find more reason to watch it.

These eateries are found on the boardwalk, and the local humor has it that on Memorial Day, they start serving whatever was left over from the previous Labor Day. I don't believe it, but neither do I eat there. However, on any Sunday in summer, you'll find Gregory & Paul doing a brisk business, and even on nice days in mid-winter. New Yorkers have to eat and in this city there is plenty of food to be found. Ruby Jacobs was a well known Coney man, and at one time he managed three different bath houses (bath houses are what started Coney Island). In 2004, the end of Stillwell Avenue and adjacent to the boardwalk (a few yards from his bar and grill), there is now a street sign saying: Ruby Jacobs Walk.

Not really Coney Island but along the boardwalk and close enough; never an aerial view but thanks to modern technology, and alas, never a resort like this to be seen again. Like each and every one of us, there was only one Brighton Beach Baths and there'll never be another one like it. To paraphrase Sir Walter Scott, "Breathes there a man with soul so dead who never to himself hath said, this is my own, my native land, and I've never been to Brighton Baths" (later known as the Brighton Beach Bath and Racquet Club). This was sent to me by David Moccio, whose father, Vito, virtually ran the entire operation. To paraphrase Sir Walter Scott, "Breathes there a man with soul so dead who never to himself hath said, this is my own, my native land, and I've never been to Brighton Baths" (later known as the Brighton Beach Bath and Racquet Club). This was sent to me by David Moccio, whose father, Vito, virtually ran the entire operation.

Let me tell you about this Vito Moccio. He worked in the Brighton Beach Baths half his life; people thought he owned all fifteen acres of it. The salt-water pools used water piped in from the sea and of course, needed careful cleaning. So Vito to the rescue; he built the filter house at the Baths, and using a natural chemical found deep under sea water, he was able to clear the pools enough to see nine feet down in the diving pool (that’s the one upper right).

The large pool was Olympic size and the kiddy pool (lower right) was the introduction to swimming to thousands of children during the life of the Baths. Few today realize that in the early years, before this filtration system was used, the pool had to be emptied and filled every twenty-four hours. If any problem arose in the Baths, the solution was, “ask Vito”. His skill and dedicated work certainly made a difference to the Baths and to Brooklyn ... he brought joy to thousands.

The entire area is now the location of the condominium complex known as "Oceana By the Sea". Thank you, David Moccio, for reminding us that there was such a place as "The Brighton Beach Baths" and let this page be a partial memorial to the great work of your father.

Any corrections? ... ... you be my guest.

They'd say, "Hey, I'll kick you to Canarsie ... that’s what they used to say.
All right, here's the way ... Old Brooklyn ... used to look years ago.
And how about this one, old ... Coney Island Hotels ... "upper class" lived here.
How about a ride on the ... World Famous Cyclone ... you hold on tight now.
Now for the history buffs ... Coney History 1609-1880 ... very humble beginnings.
And if that's too much ... Brooklyn - a Quick History ... for those in a hurry.
Great, here you can see ... 1879 Map of Coney Island ... where everything was.
And a Brooklynese letter - Brooklynese Letter ... from Bill Gates himself.
And now, just for fun, only ... Old Brooklynites ... could possibly understand.
And finally, old Brooklyn ... Remember When ... fond, fond, recollections.
Oh yeah, lest we forget - Brooklyn Now - The Modern Way - you will recognize it.
We'll return to the ... Navigator ... our contents page.