Amusement Parks | Chicago Stories

Amusement Parks

Thrill-seeking Chicagoans have been lining up at local amusement parks for nearly a 150 years. From the early trolley parks of the nineteenth century, to the famous Ferris wheel of the World’s Fair, to the golden age of roller coasters, to the white-knuckle, gravity-defying rides of the modern age, the business of fun has always been central to Chicago. Beloved parks such as Riverview Park and Kiddieland, among others, served as a beacon for laughter, thrills, and childhood fun for a generation of Chicagoans.

“A Rite of Passage”: The History, Rides, and Legacy of Riverview Park

Children run through the entrance of Riverview Park on opening day in 1955. Credit: ST-17647416, Chicago Sun-Times collection, Chicago History Museum

Chicago has been an important hub for a wide variety of industries, serving as the center for everything from meat processing and candy to publishing and advertising – even pinball machines. But the city has also been a chief exporter of something else: good, old-fashioned fun.

“Chicago really played a critical role in the development of amusement parks, and it really had a history that does not reflect in a lot of other cities,” Jim Futrell, director and historian for the National Amusement Park Historical Association, told Chicago Stories. The World’s Columbian Exposition set the stage for Chicago to become a key player in amusement parks and innovations in ride technology. Amusement parks, such as Paul Boyton’s Water Chutes, Kiddieland, White City, and Santa’s Village, began to pop up over the decades, giving Chicagoans and their big shoulders a place to recreate.

For decades, the city’s largest – and perhaps the most beloved – amusement park was Riverview Park... Read more

Slideshow: Riverview Park Through the Years

The Velvet Coaster Credit: Newberry Library.

The Top roller coaster Credit: National Amusement Park Historical Association

The Thousand Islands ride Credit: Newberry Library

An aerial view looking north at Riverview Park Credit: National Amusement Park Historical Association

Girls enjoy a ride at Riverview Park. Credit: National Amusement Park Historical Association

People take a tumble in the barrel inside Aladin’s Castle in 1945. Credit: ST-17500627-E1, Chicago Sun-Times collection, Chicago History Museum

The Strat-O-Strat ride pictured in 1965 Credit: ST-90004584-0016, Chicago Sun-Times collection, Chicago History Museum

The Bobs roller coaster Credit: National Amusement Park Historical Association

The Bobs roller coaster Credit: Bill Reffke

An aerial photo looking north at Riverview Park Credit: Bill Reffke

The Blue Streak coaster, pictured to the left Credit: Bill Reffke

The Flying Turns ride Credit: Bill Reffke

The Hot Rods attraction Credit: Bill Reffke

The Jetstream ride, with the Pair-O-Chutes ride in the background Credit: Bill Reffke

Kids enjoy a roller coaster at Riverview Park in 1966. Credit: ST-90004578-0002, Chicago Sun-Times collection, Chicago History Museum

How Chicago’s Midway Plaisance Set the Stage for Modern Day Amusement Parks

An illustration of the Midway Plaisance at the World’s Columbian Exposition in 1893 Credit: Chicago History Museum, ICHi-061066; Charles S. Graham, artist

In 1893, 27 million people from around the world visited the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago’s Jackson Park. The gleaming fairgrounds, nicknamed the “White City,” were adorned with neoclassical buildings, lush gardens, elegant promenades, and diverse pavilions representing 46 countries.

“It was a very formal showcase,” Tim Samuelson, cultural historian for the City of Chicago, told Chicago Stories.

And then there was the Midway Plaisance, a narrow, mile-long stretch of land that jutted out from the main fairgrounds of the World’s Fair. It was far less formal, emphasizing the immersive experience and “showbiz”-style of entertainment as opposed to... Read more

American Eagle: Riding the Sky at Six Flags Great America

WTTW News correspondent Amanda Vinicky takes a trip to Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Illinois for an exclusive ride on The American Eagle roller coaster. This webbed, wooden wonder has remained an iconic Midwestern landmark since its debut in 1981 and is showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

America’s First Modern Amusement Park Was on Chicago’s South Side

Paul Boyton’s Shoot the Chutes Credit: Library of Congress

The 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition proved that Chicagoans had a healthy appetite for amusement – and that fun could be monetized. In the summer of 1894, just months after the World’s Fair closed, a new amusement park opened at 63rd Street and Cottage Grove Avenue, just west of the former fairgrounds in present-day Jackson Park. It was called Paul Boyton’s Water Chutes.

“That is considered the first modern amusement park and essentially the first amusement park to focus on rides as the primary draw…and charge admission to ride those rides,” Jim Futrell, director and historian for the National Amusement Park Historical Association, told Chicago Stories.

The park had a few rides, such as merry-go-rounds, a miniature railroad, early versions of roller coasters, as well as its signature ride: Shoot the Chutes. The ride was not unlike... Read more

Lead support for Chicago Stories is provided by The Negaunee Foundation.

The Negaunee Foundation

Major support is provided by Gwen Cohen and the TAWANI Foundation.

Funding for Chicago Stories: Amusement Parks is provided by Shirley Z. and Peter C. Welsh, the Donna Van Eekeren Foundation, Denny and Sandy Cummings, Northern Trust, The Salvino Family of Performance Wealth, and Robert J. and Roberta L. Washlow.