In the early 20th century, what is today Ship Bottom was part of an unnamed, deserted stretch of the New Jersey barrier island known as Long Beach. During January 1903, the U.S. Life-Saving Service, from its Station Number 20, captured the front pages of the nation’s newspapers with two daring rescues.

During this period, Charles Francis Bourke had been the editor of Collier’s magazine and one of the best-known short story writers in the country, writing about topics from the Pinkerton…