Before it was a park, this island was a resort called Belle Isle. By 1911 it had a dance hall, an open-air theater with 700 seats, and boats to rent. Visitors crossed on a footbridge.
In July 1911, aviation pioneer Eugene Ely used part of the island as a runway. A roller skating rink opened in 1912.
George Wingfield bought the island in 1920 and gave it to the city. In the late 1930s, Works Progress Administration crews built retaining walls to hold the river banks in place.