Amusement Parks, USA
Today I have four vintage slides featuring three old-time amusement parks!
First up is this neat shot from the 1940's; this familiar-looking ride is one that was seen at many parks throughout the years... the woman and her son are hanging on for dear life as they whip around the bend. The park is Savin Rock in West Haven, Connecticut; it was a popular seaside resort that apparently had an amusement park in some form going back to around 1870! Wow. Unfortunately, the park closed in the 1960's, and it was not my fault in any way.
This 1960 slide was unlabeled, but it is a photo of Hershey Park (in chocolaty Hershey, Pennsylvania!). The "Shoot the Chutes" ride is yet another typical early amusement park attraction that you'd see at places like Luna Park or Venice (California) - which makes sense considering that Hershey Park has been around since 1907. I used to go there during my years in Pennsylvania and have lots of fond memories of it - particularly the smell of chocolate when you took the factory tour! 
These last two are from July 1961, and show a place called Buck Lake Ranch in Angola, Indiana. It is still around today, and according to the website, it "...looks the same as it did in the 50's and 60's". It sounds like a swell place to camp or fish, or enjoy a nice picnic (pic-a-nic!). I can't tell if "Fort Laramie" and this great stagecoach are still around; they used to have a neat train ride as part of their "Pioneer Town" as well.
Simple pleasures for simpler times. I love this photo, a real piece of Americana!
8 comments:
Americana is good Major. Simple slides showing a little insight to what use to be. I love it.
Fantastic images...I may have to take a trip to Indiana!
These are great! Hey that kid is standing up in the boat! I hope Fort Laramie didn't meet the same fate as DL's Fort Wilderness.
These are great! But are you sure you weren't responsible for that first park closing???
Do they still have that "Shoot the Cutes" ride at Hershey Park? As side note on Hershey park; they still have and operate their 1969 Monorail, its an exact duplicate of the version that is rotting away at Magic Mt! And the MM folks claim they can't get parts, how does Hershey keep theirs running? (rant over)
OK, so Daveland, Stuff from the Park and Gorilla's all have non-Disneyland posts today, I smell a conspiracy - LOL!
The Whip is one of my favorite rides at Kennywood here in Pgh.
we actually have a kiddie Whip as well ;-)
i love the old-time parks
!
thanks for posting these
The carrousel from Savin Rock was closed in the 1960s and relocated to Magic Mountain believe it or not.
Today the West Haven beach is still a popular recreation area, but, alas, no rides and only signs to commemorate what used to exist.
Vintage Disneyland Tickets -
Hersheypark does not have the Mill Chute ride any longer. It was destroyed in a flood in June 1972.
To answer your question in your rant, hershey kep their's running by cannibalizing the third train. It also not an exact duplicate of the version that was at Magic Mountain. It's operating systems were slightly different, yet enough that they don't exactly have common parts.
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