Mystery Amusement Park, October 1960
Today I am sharing five slide scans (from October, 1960) featuring an amusement park that I can't identify. There are no hand-written notes on the slides, and I don't see any helpful clues in any of the photos. If you happen to recognize this place, please let me know!
Among the many other things I don't know is what the name of this spinning rocket ride is. Or maybe they aren't even rockets? Maybe they are horse pills. The main thing is that they spin around and around in an endless circle. It's a metaphor for life.
Those kids must be experiencing at least five Gs; some of them will black out! Those that stay conscious will secretly be added to a government list for "potential astronauts".
Here's a classic helicopter ride, seen at so many carnivals and fairs for decades. In the background, the good old Tilt-A-Whirl does it's tilting and whirling thing. Any idea what that red box is to the left? Was it a hotline to the local fire department? Could you call Batman and Robin on it?
Oh boy, a little automobile! It belongs to the fire chief, as you can see, but he doesn't need it. He prefers to walk anyway. The cars runs on a track that is placed on a little boardwalk, which is one way to do it. Surrounding the little car ride, we can see the track for...
...yet another little ride, something along the lines of a small roller coaster. Some of those hills must be four feet high! But I think these kids will be able to handle it.
22 comments:
Major-
I'd like to think that 'red box' contained the Red Hotline to the Russkies, but looks more to resemble an electrical disconnect on top, perhaps with a two-button motor starter below it. And then possibly some sort of phone contained inside the metal box with the rounded top. (Maybe that one was the ringdown phone straight to Khrushchev-!)
Thanks, Major.
That red box actually contained a switch that any random person passing by could flip, and it would bring every ride in the park to an abrupt stop. An alternate method of stopping each ride individually, would have been by dragging your foot.
How did that adult man fit into that kiddie coaster?
I want to see the Fire Worms! Apparently, they come out every Tuesday.
The two kids in the little car: Notice that each one has his own steering wheel. What would happen if they turned their wheels in opposite directions? The car would either rip in half, or turn in to itself and implode, which would undoubtedly cause a rip in SpaceTime... I wonder how often that happened?
The kid in the green dress shirt and necktie looks awfully spiffy just for a day at the amusement park.
The other kid is ringing the fire chief's bell. Gotta ring he bell.
I notice a lot of the kids are wearing the same colors: red and maroon. Must be school colors; maybe uniforms.
Tokyo!, yeah, what the heck are Fire Worms? And why are they only available on Tuesdays? I tried Googling it but all I got was an actual sea creature that you don't want to mess with.
Thanks for the mystery photos, Major. Hope someone can figure out where this is/was.
I’m not sure if you guys are kidding , but that sign says FIREWORKS not “fireworms”.
In the second-to-last picture, you can faintly make out "Coney Island" on the fireworks sign. We are in Brooklyn!
The giveaway was the Cyclone in the background of the first picture, with a train heading down a drop. The rides are a lot different today, but you can see how the Cyclone track lines up in this Street View image. While the Cyclone obviously remains today, in 1960, you could've taken your pick from the Tornado, Thunderbolt, and even a Flying Turns coaster. Not to mention Steeplechase Park with its Steeplechase ride and the legendary Pavilion of Fun!! Okay, I'll stop now.
I don't know the history of this colorful Kiddieland, but like any park opened at that time, most of its kids' rides are Allan Herschell Co. products (note the "AH" on the grill of the Little Dipper train). Herschell would often sell Kiddielands as a package deal, complete with a ride in the infield of its trademark Little Dipper coaster... but I don't think that's a Herschell car ride in pic #3. I forget the name of the rocket ride, but it's basically a kiddie version of Herschell's Caterpillar, just with no canopy. And the Helicopter ride, perhaps AH's second-greatest financial success, has limitless possibilities! Many parks near me have one, but the vehicles have been replaced. Kennywood retrofitted its version to resemble terrifying, giant kangaroos, and I know some of the Christmas/Santa's Village parks just took off the top cone and propeller, making it a Christmas ornament-themed ride.
Thank you, Andrew! I was going to comment that you would probably know, but you beat me to it. Did you get a chance to read my late-addition comment added yesterday?
You can see some of the same rides in this (humorously mislabeled) picture. I found this information in Amusement Parks of New York about the land, once home to Feltman's restaurant. The park was fully redeveloped by its new owners into the space-age Astroland in 1962.
"The old Feltman's property was foreclosed on in 1952, and in June 1954, it was put up for auction. With a bid of $490,000, control of the parcel passed to an investor group led by Dewey Albert and Herman Rapps...the new owners announced plans to eventually redevelop the site into an all-new amusement park, and they sought to make the most of their investment in the meantime. They leased the restaurant and amusements to new operators and added attractions such as a train, Tilt-A-Whirl, and shooting gallery. By 1958, many of the older rides were being replaced."
Sue, thanks for letting me know. I don't know where I have the Motor Boat Cruise map saved, but I remember TokyoMagic! pointing out some errors! I am working as a ride operator at Kennywood Park on the Wave Swinger, SwingShot (Screamin' Swing), and Pittsburg Plunge (shoot-the-chutes) rides. The park opened on a cold and rainy Easter weekend, but I know that I'm really going to enjoy the job.
Thanks, Andrew! I saw the “Coney Island” sign as well but took off down the wrong path initially, looking at Ohio’s Coney Island first. I had just realized “Hey, wait a minute - is that…the Cyclone, maybe?” and refreshed the comments and had my answer. Now I can go mow the lawn.
Coney Island (Ohio) had a helicopter ride that they tethered with kangaroos that later moved to KIng’s Island. Here are a couple of pictures:
Link 2 (https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EwYI4_iXMAIxyn_?format=jpg&name=small)
Link 2 (https://www.pinterest.com/pin/509751251563677198/)
Is this the same ride that ended up at Kennywood with the “terrifying, giant kangaroos?”
Rethemed, not tethered. A pox upon AutoCorrect!
Congratulations on your new job, Andrew! “Ride Operator” sounds so much more fun than “Guy Who Sits Behind a Computer in an Office All Day.”
For some reason I get a "Best school field trip EVER" vibe off of these!
The guy in the back of the coaster is obviously a teacher...or a G-Man and those kids are the youngest organized crime syndicate ever. The situation is about to turn very serious...
Fireworms sounds so much more entertaining than fireworks. Aren't they packaged in a bottle of tequila? That's the real reason there's the center rail on the ride. No chance of fireworms taking complete control.
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Really love these! Those kids are having so much fun. This is what amusement parks were like before Disneyland came in and ruined it all.
I remember a helicopter ride like this from the county fair midway.
Thanks Major.
Nanook, if I had a hotline to the Russkies, I’d have a thing or two to say to them right now! YES, I’d tell them to eat all their vegetables, but I have other things to tell them too. They are up to shenanigans, you know. I was unaware of an “electrical disconnect”, but they really blew it by not using a big knife switch like in the Frankenstein movies.
TokyoMagic!, wow, Disneyland needs to put switches like that all over. Only you’ll need Genie+ on your phone to operate them, and it will cost you a $25 upcharge. Are you listening, Chapek? That man fit into that ride using a technique known as “clenching”. Yes, Fire Worms were a big thing at amusement parks back in the day!
JB, if those kids turned their steering wheels toward each other, their atoms would meld, creating a staggering release of energy and minty aroma! Horrifying, but refreshing. What kind of kid goes to an amusement park wearing a dress shirt and tie? I’ll bet his name was “Derwood”. Fire worms are a dish best eaten cold, if you are to believe that jerk Shakespeare.
Mike Cozart, I think it’s safe to say that the guys are kidding!
Andrew, OH YEAH! Jeez, it’s right there, and I didn’t even see it. NEAT! I of course did see the wooden coaster in the background, but I wouldn’t have known that it was the Cyclone just by looking at it. Of course YOU would! I love all the info that you just have in your head, the sign of a true fan. I’m happy that you checked in today, I was hoping that these might be your jam, and it sounds like they are! Again, thanks so much for the ID.
Lou and Sue, I thought you had a hotline (kind of like that phone in photo #3 that went directly to Andrew’s house!
Andrew, whoa, I love that the photo is mislabeled, that makes it 200% better. Plus it’s just a very neat photo, and it’s cool that (as you pointed out) we can see some of the very same rides. Thanks again for more amazing info. I have the best readers! I’d love to see your map of the Motor Boat Cruise, even if it has some errors. I hope you love your ride operator job! I hope nobody ever barfs during your shift.
Chuck, I feel so dumb, I was literally scanning these slides intently looking for ANY clue that would help me to ID the location, and somehow completely blipped over the most obvious clue of all… the words “Coney Island”. Of course there was more than one of those, but at least it would have given me something to go on. Thanks for the link to the photos of the helicopter ride with the kangaroos. It’s weirdness like that that makes old amusement parks awesome.
Chuck, somehow my brain made “tethered” make sense. HEY, I sit behind a computer all day!!
Stu29573, interesting, I wonder if this WAS a school field trip? We sure never got anything as fun as that. We went to a dairy. Once we went to Washington D.C. though, that was pretty cool. Try to see all of D.C. in one all-day field trip! We had to bus there from Pennsylvania. If you’re going to be a crime boss, you might as well gather some associates when they are young, so that they will be loyal to you.
Warren Nielsen, I know! Now I want some Fireworms, though not in a bottle of tequila, thank you very much. Are you saying that Fireworms crawl through our ears into our brains to control us? I’m pretty sure that’s what you implied!
JG, these were a fun find, but knowing that they are from Coney Island makes them so much cooler!
@ Andrew-
So, I'm gonna guess this was one of the Kiddie Parks operated by the McCullough family - probably the one at Surf Ave & 8th Street - next to the Cyclone. Another location at 12th & Bowery Streets closed in 2012, after 50 years of operation. Can't find any closing info on the location featured in today's images - or maybe the images depict rides at both parks-??
Nice work-!
Nanook, thanks for the info about the Kiddie Park operated by the McCullough family, I will have to do more research. Thanks to the Junior Gorillas, these slides turned out to be so much more cool than I imagined!
Mike, yes...I was kidding! I kid because I love.....love fire worms!
Major, if you walk down the exit hallway of "Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln," you will see a metal box on the wall with a switch inside. If you flip the switch, all of the exit doors to the theater will open, right in the middle of the show. But don't ask me how I know that. I have never flipped that switch in the middle of a show. Never ever. Really.
Mike, awww now you gone done and ruined it. Not sure if Tokyo! was kidding, but I just assumed it was "Fire Worms" after he put the notion into my head... Thanks a lot, Tokyo! ;-p
Fire Works... geez, so obvious. (red-faced)
Andrew, thanks for all the links and info. And it's great to hear of your Kennywood summer job! Hope it turns out to be a fun experience for you.
I thought the sign said "Cosey Seland"... so I got nowhere with it.
Chuck, in that kangaroo link, I guess the kids are riding in the 'roos pouch, yes? And why is kanga wearing a cape?
Dang, I was hoping to see those helicopters tethered to kangaroos.
Major, I wasn't kidding (thanks again, Tokyo!).
Like you, I made "tethered" make sense as well. Then again, I fell for "Fire Worms", too.
We went to a dairy on a field trip as well; probably 2nd grade. We ate our sack lunches in the barn with all the cows standing around. THE SMELL!!! I gagged and wretched with every bite I took.
Tokyo!, Oh, so NOW you say you were kidding!... Just remember that some of us are gullible saps. (and that's what makes it fun!)
I, too, was trying to figure out what the heck were fireworms...then when I read Mike’s comment and laughed. We owe you one, TM!
^ then when I read Mike’s comment, I laughed.
TokyoMagic!, I know that you would never do something so wicked as to flip that switch, and you CERTAINLY wouldn’t be so evil as to do it repeatedly. Because you are a good boy.
JB, yes, it sounds like a job at Kennywood is a dream come true for Andrew! Let’s just hope that he doesn’t become disillusioned and that it continues to delight and inspire. The kangaroo theme is just weird, but I’m OK with weird. The main thing I remember about our trip to the dairy was that we all got a little tub of chocolate ice cream with a wooden spoon. Funny that I don’t remember bad smells! Maybe we were at a modern, sanitary dairy? However, my grandpa worked at the Hormel plant, and we took a tour of it when I was about 8 or 9. Now THAT smelled awful!
Lou and Sue, I remember when Disneyland did fireworms every night.
I'd go with "field trip day" for the dress. Maybe Sunday school students in uniform from a Catholic school and a few kids who were good and didn't fidget with their ties too much in church.
From the narrowness of the boardwalk for the cars, I'd guess that the steering wheels didn't do anything and the rail guided the car.
Congrats, Andrew on the Kennywood job. Maybe a GDB field trip there this summer.
Dean Finder, you might be right, I didn't really notice all of the red/burgundy until JB pointed it out. What a nice thing to do for a field trip, if that's what it was! I'm sure you're right about the steering wheel being non-functional, but it gave the kids the illusion of control, which was probably enough. I'd love to take a field trip to Kennywood! Pennsylvania, my old stomping grounds.
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