Chicago's Riverview Amusement Park, 1904-1967

(Satellite, north of Belmont between Western and the river)

I'm researching the location of the Riverview Amusement Park to help understand the orientation of this photo of Grebe Shipyard because the park is obviously in the right background.

ChicagoMaritimeMuseum

And the ComEd's Northwest Generating Station is in the background of this photo so this view is looking west across the river.

Twitter from DNAinfo

For more typical photos of the park, see pintrest. GenealogyTrails has some details about the rides and more photos.

It occurred to me that amusement parks are a significant industry. The is more stuff in the world than just railroads and bridges. Take a look at Cedar Point, Holiday World (a family favorite), Disney Parks and Six Flags. We have already seen that interurbans built amusement parks to create business during weekends such as Dellwood. I remember going to Elitch Gardens in Denver when it was in its original location and had gardens and a ballroom. I've also gone to their newer location that reused abandoned railroad yards.

Riverview started either as a skeet-shooting club that added some rides to entertain the wives and children of the shooters [ChicagoTribune-remember] or as a sharpshooter park whose son added rides after he saw some of them during a trip to Europe. [DefunctParks, Richiezie].

Riverview eventually could claim the title of the "world's largest amusement park," its area and number of rides far outnumbering those at the more famous and sprawling four-park setup at Coney Island, N.Y., and of such rival local playgrounds as White City or Joyland on the South Side. Its slogan was simple — "Laugh Your Troubles Away" — and through world wars and a Great Depression, through divorces and deaths that's what people did. For the first generations of visitors, Riverview was the only place to take a boat ride, either on the wild slide that was Shoot the Chutes or on the more leisurely Tunnel of Love. For its early visitors it represented a place where the machinery of industry was transformed into things of play as it took the city from the Victorian age into the modern world. [ChicagoTribune-remember]

It featured what some insist was the finest roller coaster of all time, The Bobs. Other popular coasters were The Comet, The Silver Flash, The Fireball and The Jetstream. Aladdin's Castle was a classic fun house with a collapsing stairway, mazes and turning barrel. [ChicagoTribune with 49 photos] "In 1926 'The Bobs' was added an 11 - Car Roller Coaster with an 85 foot drop. The most fearsome Roller Coaster in America at the time, it was the fastest on record. The Bobs carried 1,200 passengers per hour it drew over 700,000 rides each season. The Bobs was the most popular ride throughout Riverviews Park existence." The 74-acre park entertained over 200,000,000 people before it was sold Oct 3, 1967 for $6.5m ($85+ in today's money). [Richiezie] The merry-go-round, with its hand-painted horses, was purchased in 1971, and it is now in "Atlanta at Six Flags Over Georgia." [whgbetc] When the park closed on Sept. 1, 1967, it had 120 rides, including six rollercoasters, a parachute jump and rockets. [GenealogyTrails]

Despite being seen as a success to many, the park was sold on October 3rd, 1967. Shortly after, an article from the Chicago Tribune blamed violence for the park’s closure as Schmidt admitted that crime was a motivation for selling. Minorities felt increasingly uncomfortable as racism became more common. Aside from being made to feel generally unwelcome African Americans found themselves in complete outrage with the addition of an attraction called “Dunk The N*****” which was renamed “The African Dip”. Among this, increasing taxes, maintenance and more led to the fall of one of the greatest amusement parks of its time. Stories of Riverview have been passed down through generations and will most likely continue to be. [DefunctParks]

EncyclopediaChicagoHistory
Reverview Postcard, 1909
[Chicago was the birthplace of amusement parks that featured mechanical attractions. Please click the caption link for an interesting history.]

(new window) 1952, silent [DNAinfo]


I read a couple of years ago that the Western overpass of Belmot was going to be removed. It was originally built to handle the traffic generated by the Riverview Amusement Park. Since the park is gone and the overpass needed repairs, it was decided to get rid of it. A street view shows this work is done. Given that it is a five-way intersection, I'm glad I don't have to use it.

Street View
On Belmont east of Western Avenue looking West at Western Avenue

But a satellite image still shows what it used to look like.

3D Satellite

Vince Black posted
Darla Reichwald At the end of Aladdin's Castle there air would shoot up to blow the girls skirts up over their heads. We never wore skirts to Riverview.
Sara Fieberg Riverview, Aladdin's castle, room of doors where you were channeled into a maze and had to find the right door in each group to go forward. Barrel roll. And the parachute jump! That was a test of courage! All the sailors with their girls sneaking a kiss at the ball toss booths.Shirley Hartford Aladdin’s Castle was so much fun. The mirrors, the big roller to walk thru the crooked floo

Jerry Kasper commented on Vince's posting
Remember the magic.

Jerry Kasper commented on Vince's posting