Riverview Park (Chicago)

Riverview Park was an amusement park in Chicago, Illinois which operated from 1904 to 1967. It was located on of land in the Roscoe Village neighborhood of Chicago's North Center community area.

History Riverview Park was established in 1904 by William Schmidt, on the grounds of his private skeet shooting range. The Schmidt family owned and operated the park for its entire lifetime.

Bill Haywood, leader of Industrial Workers of the World, once spoke at the park to a crowd of almost 80,000 people.Rosemont, Franklin (2002) Joe Hill: The IWW & the Making of a Revolutionary Workingclass Culture, Charles H. Kerr Publishing Company

Enduring racially motivated myths described the park's "seedy" atmosphere in the 1950s and 1960s as it became more integrated between races. Contemporaneous articles in black publications such as The Chicago Defender described black patrons being subject to latent and overt racism. The most overt was a longstanding dunk tank attraction officially named "African Dip" and later shortened to "Dip", but often referred to by patrons as "Dunk the Nigger". In the 1950s, the NAACP and Chicago newspaper columnist Mike Royko successfully lobbied to shut it down.

According to Victoria Wolcott, author of the 2012 book Race, Riots, and Roller Coasters:

Riverview Park closed in 1967. A Chicago Tribune article from late 1967 blamed violence for the park's closure, though Wolcott said there was little evidence to support this. White flight contributed to Riverview Park's financial decline. The Schmidt family sold the park's land to developers at a cost of over $6.8 million ($ in ).

The grounds eventually became home to the Riverview Plaza shopping center, the Chicago Police Area 3 Detective Division, DePaul College Prep, dental equipment manufacturer Hu-Friedy Manufacturing, and Richard Clark Park of the Chicago Park District. Many items from Riverview Park, as well as paintings of the park, were displayed at the Riverview Tavern from 2005 to 2018. The park's carousel, the only ride from the park to be relocated elsewhere, continues to operate at Six Flags Over Georgia today.

Rides and attractions +NameYear openedYear closedManufacturer and type ImageDescriptionAerial Coaster19081910Aerial Tramway Construction Company, Steel suspended roller coasterFormerly known as Pottsdam RailwayAladdin's CastleUnknown1967FunhouseBig Dipper19201967Harry C. Baker and John A. Miller, Wooden roller coasterFormerly known as Zephyr and CometBlue Streak19111923Frederick Ingersoll and John A. Miller, Wooden side friction roller coasterMay have also been known as SpeedoplaneBobs19241967Frank Prior and Frederick Church, Wooden roller coasterBoomerangUnknownUnknownUnknownBump 'EmUnknownUnknownBumper carsCalypsoUnknownUnknownUnknownCannon Ball19191925Fred W. Pearce, Benjamin E. Winslow, and John A. Miller; Wooden roller coasterCarousel19081967Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters, CarouselFeatured 70 horses and was one of only three five-abreast carousels known to exist. In 1967, it was purchased by and moved to Six Flags Over Georgia, where it was renamed Riverview Carousel.Derby Racer19101931Frederick Ingersoll and John A. Miller, Wooden dual-tracked side friction roller coasterExpo Whirl 1910UnknownFerris WheelUnknownUnknownFerris wheelFireball19231967Belmont Construction Company, Wooden roller coasterOriginally opened as Skyrocket in 1923. Renamed to Blue Streak in 1936. Majorly rebuilt and renovated into Fireball in 1959.Flying Cars19541966Car rideFlying ScooterUnknownUnknownBisch-Rocco, Flying ScootersFlying Turns19351967John Norman Bartlett and John A. Miller, Wooden bobsled roller coasterOriginally operated at the 1933 and 1934 World's FairsFreak show1950sUnknownLive showA show that featured Betty Lou Williams (a four-legged woman) and magician Marshall BrodienGee Wiz19121963John A. Miller, Wooden roller coasterFormerly known as GreyhoundHadesUnknownUnknownFunhouseHell GateUnknownUnknownFunhouseHot Rods19551967Race trackJack Rabbit19141932Frederick Ingersoll and John A. Miller, Wooden roller coasterJetstream19641967Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters and John C. Allen, Wooden roller coasterKiddie Bobs19261934Frank Prior and Frederick Church, Wooden children's roller coasterKrazy Ribbon1923Somewhere between 1943 and 1952Wooden spinning (Virginia Reel) roller coasterFormerly known as Virginia Reel from 1923 to 1932Metrodome1911UnknownUnknownMiniature steam engine trainUnknownUnknownRideable miniature railwayCoal-fired enginePair-O-Chutes19371967Free-fall parachute rideFormerly known as Eye-Full Paratrooper1960UnknownParatrooperPikes Peak Scenic Railway19071911"Barry", LaMarcus Adna Thompson, John A. Miller; Wooden roller coasterPippin19211967Harry C. Baker and John A. Miller, Wooden roller coasterFormerly known as Flash and Silver FlashRacetrack1907UnknownRace trackRotor19521967Orton & Spooner, RotorRoyal George Scenic Railway19081920"Barry" and John A. Miller, Wooden roller coasterShoot the ChutesUnknown1967Shoot the chutesSpace Ride19631967Sky rideStrat-O-StatUnknownUnknownUnknownTickler1910UnknownTicklerTilt-A-WhirlUnknownUnknownSellner Manufacturing, Tilt-A-WhirlTop1917UnknownSpiral Wheel Operating Corporation, Wooden Circular Gravity Railway roller coasterTunnel of Love Unknown1967Old MillFormerly known as Thousand Islands and Mill on the Floss. Renamed to Tunnel of Love in 1950. Velvet Coaster19091919Frederick Ingersoll and John A. Miller, Wooden roller coasterWhite Flyer19041920sLaMarcus Adna Thompson, Wooden roller coasterWild Mouse19581967B. A. Schiff & Associates, Steel wild mouse roller coasterWitching Waves1910UnknownUnknown

In popular culture

A line in The Beach Boys' song "Amusement Parks U.S.A." from their 1965 album Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!) referenced the park by name and mentioned its Pair-O-Chutes ride. Bally Manufacturing and WNS Industries' headquarters and primary manufacturing facilities were just west of Riverview Park. Fireball, Bally Manufacturing's 1972 pinball machine, was named after Riverview Park's Fireball roller coaster. Their Aladdin's Castle amusement arcade division was named to honor the Aladdin's Castle funhouse. The Aladdin's Castle pinball machine was similarly inspired. The park appears in the 1977 novel The Unoriginal Sinner and the Ice Cream God by John R. Powers. WMS Industries' 1985 pinball game Comet was named after another coaster at the park, and Screamo (1959) featured various rides from the park.Internet Pinball Database: IPDB.org WMS Industries' 1990 amusement park-themed pinball machine FunHouse was also inspired by Riverview Park. The Riverview Carousel is depicted on the machine's backglass.

References

Riverview Park (Chicago)

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