​In 1910, W.S. Collins received the first city contract to run a ferry from Balboa to his new development, Balboa Island. His boat man was a loud, loveable man by the name of John Watts. After Collins left the area around 1914, a Balboa Island resident Joe Fergusun paid Watts to continue the service for the next four years. In 1919, the contract was awarded to Joe Beek.