The island at the confluence of the Elkhart and St. Joseph Rivers became central to Elkhart’s recreational life as the city grew. Folklore held that Native Americans named the Elkhart River Mishiwa-Teki-Sipiwi, meaning Heart of a Stag, because the island resembled an elk’s heart. When the village of Elkhart was established in 1831, abundant open space left little interest in the island for recreation, but by 1859 picnickers were hiring a boat to reach it because no bridge existed. In the summer of 1882, the G.A.R., a Civil War veterans organization, leased the island, built a footbridge, and promoted it as a public resort, with a July 4 dedication attended by an estimated 8,000 people and addressed by Col. C.G. Conn, then mayor. Although the city had tried to buy the property earlier, James Rufus Beardsley and his sister Sarah Davenport deeded it to the city in 1887. A new bridge had been erected by 1886, the Volunteer Fire Department operated refreshment and entertainment concessions, and six oil streetlights illuminated the park. From 1891 to 1900 the island saw its greatest development, including an artesian well and gazebo in 1891, a replacement bridge in 1892 using a span from the old North Main Street Bridge, and a circular pavilion in 1893 that hosted political rallies, including an address by William Jennings Bryan in 1896. The island remained Elkhart’s leading outdoor gathering place into the 20th century as the Chautauqua Society moved there from McNaughton Park in 1991 and continued lecture and recreational programs, while later band concerts and dances sustained its popularity after Chautauquas waned by the 1930's. Major refurbishment began in 1937 under the WPA, which over three years removed or replaced older structures, redesigned the fountain, eliminated the round pavilion, rebuilt the picnic hall on the south side, and filled a hollow in the island’s center. Later improvements added playground equipment, erosion control, lighting, and two more bridges: one in 1976 linking Island Park to Lundquist-Bicentennial Park on the south and the Miles Centennial Bridge in 1984 across the St. Joseph River on the north. In 1980 the C.G. Conn Bandstand was moved from the company factory site and reconstructed in the island’s center, and since 1979 the park has hosted the Rhapsody in Green Festival, remaining the “heart” of Elkhart.