Hooray for MISCELLANEOUS AMUSEMENTS! This first one is dated "August, 1964", and is from Dinosaur Park, in Rapid City, South Dakota. Dinosaur Park (was) dedicated on May 22, 1936, it contains seven dinosaur sculptures on a hill overlooking the city, created to capitalize on the tourists coming to the Black Hills to see Mount Rushmore. Constructed by the City of Rapid City and the Works Progress Administration, WPA Project #960's dinosaurs were designed by Emmet Sullivan. Sullivan also designed the Apatosaurus at Wall Drug nearby in Wall, South Dakota.
The park is located at 940 Skyline Drive and is maintained by the City of Rapid City. Admission is free. The park was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 21, 1990. I'm so glad that Dinosaur Park is still with us!
From August, 1961 comes this photo of two sisters (?) at the wheels of a pretty nice little car ride - much fancier than the ones on steel track set on boards in a worn grass field. I have no idea where this was located, however, if you do, please chime in!
And finally, from August, 1965 we see this view of a fair from a very faded, filthy, and damaged slide. It doesn't look that great now, and I spent quite a while trying to restore it before I lost patience and stopped. Anyway, the fair looks like the kind of thing you'd find in 1965 in a nicer town. Signs helpfully identify rides such as "Tip Top" and the "Twister", can you ID any others?
Major-
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking Mother and Daughter or maybe Aunt and Niece on that 2nd image. Those are pretty tight quarters, too - definitely designed for the 'younger set'.
Thanks, Major.
Wow, dinosaurs looked a lot different in 1936! T-rexes were still dragging their tails then. And dinos were green and white in coloration. Joking aside, these are actually quite good for 1936. Only a few decades earlier people thought dinosaur bones were proof that dragons existed.
ReplyDeleteI'm trying to figure out the control box to the left of the autos. The push-buttons at the top are most likely for 'start' and 'stop', plus indicator lights. But what are the hinged things under them? In the background, it looks likwe the cars go through a 'tunnel', like a model railroad; or maybe it's a castle?
In the carnival pic, I think there is a Trabant on the extreme right, and some sort of Fun House on the left. There is also a chairlift type of sky ride in the background. Not sure what the Twister is; do they mean the Rock-O-Plane? I love vintage carnival pics.
A fun and varied selection for this Saturday. Thanks, Major.