Kiddieland Amusement Park
Sign at the front of Kiddieland. | |
Interactive map of Kiddieland Amusement Park | |
| Location | Melrose Park, Illinois, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 41°54′34″N 87°50′11″W / 41.9094°N 87.8364°W |
| Status | Defunct |
| Opened | 1929 |
| Closed | September 27, 2009 |
| Owner | Family owned and operated |
| Operating season | May – September |
| Attractions | |
| Total | 27 |
| Roller coasters | The Little Dipper |
Kiddieland Amusement Park (stylized as "KiDDieLAND") was an amusement park located at the corner of North Avenue and First Avenue in Melrose Park, Illinois. It was home to several classic rides including the Little Dipper roller coaster, which opened in 1950. The park closed on September 27, 2009, and was demolished in 2010 to make way for a new Costco store. The sign for the amusement park was preserved and relocated to the parking lot next to the Melrose Park Public Library.[1]
History
Kiddieland started out as a small venture of Arthur Fritz, a local builder and contractor. In 1929, he purchased six ponies and offered rides to local children. Miniature gasoline-powered cars were added a few years later after Fritz learned that they were being given away to children by a Chicago newspaper as a subscription promotion. By the 1930s, Fritz was calling his collection of amusements Kiddieland; the attractions were primarily sized and geared towards younger children.
In 1940, Fritz added the German Carousel, two miniature steam locomotives, the Little Auto Ride, the Roto Whip and a Ferris wheel. The Roto Whip and Ferris wheel would remain as rides until the park's closing. The park saw its first major expansion in the 1950s with the addition of the Little Dipper and the merry-go-round. Fritz's adult children also became more involved in the park at this time. The 1960s saw bumper cars replace the original pony ride, as well as the unexpected death of Fritz in 1967.[2]
The park transferred ownership in 1977, as three of Fritz's grandchildren took over the park and its operation. The park continued its expansion over the next several decades and installed several major attractions, including a Log flume, a swinging pirate ship, a 40-foot (12 m) long water coaster, and numerous other attractions.
Closure
A dispute developed between Shirley and Glenn Rynes, who owned the land that Kiddieland occupied, and Ronald Rynes, Jr. and Cathy and Tom Norini, who owned the amusement park itself.[3] The landowners sued the park owners in 2004, claiming that the park had an improper insurance policy and that fireworks were prohibited in the lease. The case was thrown out in a Cook County court and later in an appeals court. The landowners declined to extend the lease on the land in early 2009.[3][4] In late June 2010, nine months after the park closed to the public, it was announced that Kiddieland would be demolished. A Costco store now occupies the land.[5] In 2012, a section of Melrose Park's 1st Avenue was honorarily named Kiddieland Amusement Park Road.[1]
Image gallery
Rides and Attractions
| Ride | Year opened | Year closed | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boats | 1949 | 2009 | Built by Allan Herschell Co. |
| Tractors | 1958 | 1994 | Six gas-powered tractors that could be driven between guardrails (not on tracks) by children with an optional standing platform in back for adults. Tractors were painted two green to represent John Deere, three red to represent International Harvester and one yellow to represent Allis-Chalmers. Trackway removed by the 1995 season to make way for rides displaced by a new food court[6], Tractors kept in storage until 2009. Tractors were not sold at the closing auction. The family kept one; as of 2020 Thoosie Rocco Casella owns another; some additional trucks were located at a private collector's house when the Kiddieland firetrucks were rescued in 2022. |
| Dune Buggies | 1971 | 2009 | Built by Hampton Amusement Co. |
| Large Ferris Wheel | 1940 | 2009 | Eli Bridge Co. No. 5 Type Ferris Wheel. Relocated to Nelis' Dutch Village. It was combined with a reproduction of the de Grosmolen windmill in Hoogmade, Netherlands and renamed Harry's Windmill Ride.[7] |
| Flying Saucers | 1966 | 2009 | Most likely now in a traveling fair circuit. The unit seen in this video has the same colored saucers with the same nameplates with the names of the planets it had at Kiddieland. Unknown who the showman is and where this fair was in the footage. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cM6QJRG1NNQ |
| Galleon | 1986 | 2009 | Was relocated to Gillian's Funland in Sea Isle City, New Jersey, but status is unknown after park closed in 2013 due to the costs of damage caused by Hurricane Sandy. |
| German Carousel | 1962 | 2009 | Replaced the Pony track, Built by Wilhelm Hennecke of Uelzen, Germany. Special ordered by Fritz for Kiddieland. Sold at auto auction for $557,000 to a private car collector in Canada.[8] Was last seen in Arizona auction. [9] |
| Kiddie Swings | 2008 | 2009 | |
| Kiddieland Limited Steam Engines | 1941 & 1949 | 2009 | Two 14 in (356 mm) gauge miniature railway streamlined steam locomotives. One, a 4-6-4 Hudson (Challenger), was built in 1941, and the other, a 4-8-4 Northern (Overland), was built in 1949, both by Wagner & Son Manufacturing of Plainfield, IL to replace two earlier Steam Engines.[10] The Hudson was sold to Hesston Steam Museum in 1982. The Northern stayed at Kiddieland until 2009 and was bought by Bill McEnery of Gas City. The Northern was leased by McEnery to the Hesston Steam Museum in Indiana and operated for the 2010 and 2011 seasons. The Northern was purchased outright by the Museum after McEnery filed for bankruptcy. |
| Kiddieland Limited Diesel Trains | 1950 & 1953 | 2009 | 14 in (356 mm) gauge diesel-powered engines based off the EMD F2 Design with streamlined coach sets built by the Miniature Train Co. of Rensselaer, Indiana. One A-B Unit Set consisting of two engines (No. 514) built in 1950, and one A Unit Set consisting of one engine (No. 704) built in 1953.[11] The diesels were bought by Bill McEnery of Gas City at auction after the park closed, it is unknown however if they have been sold or scrapped after McEnery filed for bankruptcy. |
| Midge-O-Racers | 1954 | 2009 | Built by Eyerly, Now located at Santa's Village AZoosment Park[12] |
| Mushroom Ride | 1979 | 2009 | Built by Chance Rides, Relocated to Lake Winnepesaukah in Rossville, Georgia, renamed Silly Saucers.[13] |
| Lava Run Hand Cars | 1950 | 2009 | Originally operated with Hodges Amusement & Manufacturing Co. Hand Cars, Original Hand Cars replaced with Push-Petal "Ore Cars" in 1984. Push-Petal cars Relocated to Nelis' Dutch Village in Holland, Michigan and renamed Petal Pumper Cars. |
| Little Autos | 1939 | 1954 | Replaced with Midge-O-Racers |
| Little Dipper | 1950 | 2009 | Designed by Herbert Schmeck and built by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company in 1950. The brakes are operated manually by a wooden handle in the station. The out-and-back coaster is 24 feet (7.3 m) tall and travels a course of 700 feet (210 m). It was awarded the ACE Coaster Classic award by the American Coaster Enthusiasts. The ride was relocated to Six Flags Great America after Kiddieland's closure.[14] |
| Little Ferris Wheel | 1951 | 2009 | Now at the Volo Museum in Volo, Illinois. |
| Log Jammer | 1992 | 2009 | Being relocated to Santa's Village AZoosment Park after sitting in storage at Wisconsin's Little Amerricka. Was planned to reopen as Yule Tide Plunge in 2022, but plans have not progressed since it was announced. |
| Merry-Go-Round | 1949 | 2009 | Built by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company as Carousel No. 72 in 1925, Operated at Lakewood Park in Waterbury, Connecticut from 1929 to 1945, Refurbished by PTC and operated at Kiddieland from 1949 to 2009. Relocated to Sonny's Place in Somers, Connecticut in 2017. The hand carved horses are in the process of being restored by The Carousel Museum.[15] |
| Pipeline | 1995 | 2009 | |
| Polyp | 1967 | 2009 | Built by Kaspar Klaus of Memmingen, Germany, Relocated to and operated at Lake Winnepesaukah from 2009 until 2020. Relocated to Indiana Beach Amusement and Water Park, in Monticello, Indiana. Now known as Sea Warrior. |
| Raceabouts | 1982 | 2009 | |
| Scooters | 1962 | 2009 | Replaced the Pony track, Built by Gebrüder Ihle of Bruchsal, Germany, imported to Kiddieland via Hot Rods Inc. of New York City, NY, Sold to Jeff Kimble who resold it to a collector in Texas. |
| Scrambler | 1966 | 2009 | Relocated to Gillians Funland in Sea Isle City, New Jersey, before quickly being moved to the larger and nearby Gillian's Wonderland Pier in Ocean City, New Jersey before being removed after 2016. The fate of this unit is unknown. |
| Sky Fighters | 1950 | 2009 | Built by Allan Herschell Co. |
| Tilt-A-Whirl | 1962 | 2009 | Replaced the Pony track, Built by Sellner Manufacturing Co. Was relocated to Gillian's Funland in Sea Isle City, New Jersey, but status is unknown after the park closed in 2013 due to the costs in damage from Hurricane Sandy. |
| Tornado | 2008 | 2009 | |
| Space Age Umbrella Ride | 1966 | 2009 | Built by Hampton Amusement Co. Relocated to Santa's Village AZoosment Park and renamed Space Invasion.[12] |
| Volcano Play Center | 1984 | 2009 | |
| Roto Whip | 1938 | 2009 | Built by W.F. Mangels Co. Relocated to Santa's Village AZoosment Park.[12] |
| Dip N Drop | 2000 | 2009 | |
| Firetrucks | 1959 | 1990s | Two Modified 1959 Volkswagen Type 2 Pickup Trucks for Birthday Charters. Rescued by Randy Carlson[16] and currently under refurbishment in California in 2022. |
| Elephant Ride | 1957 | 2009 | Originally built as an Allan Herschell Helicopter Ride, Helicopter carriages replaced with Elephant carriage bodies circa 2000. |
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References
- ^ a b "Kiddieland Amusement Park Historical Marker". www.hmdb.org. Retrieved 2025-01-27.
- ^ Gale, Neil. "The History of Kiddieland in Melrose Park, Illinois. (1929-2009)". Digital Research Library of Illinois History Journal. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
- ^ a b Kara Spak (2009-05-20). "Kiddieland, Chicago area's oldest amusement park, to close". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on 2009-05-23. Retrieved 2009-05-20.
- ^ Staff (2009-05-20). "Family feud closing kids amusement park". Chicago Breaking News Center. Retrieved 2009-05-20.
- ^ "Kiddieland coming down". Sun-Times Media, LLC. Retrieved 2010-07-26.
- ^ "Kiddieland Amusement Park - Melrose Park Illinois". www.kiddieland.com. Archived from the original on 2010-09-24. Retrieved 2026-02-25.
- ^ "Rides". Nelis' Dutch Village. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
- ^ "Kiddieland to close". ABC 7 Chicago. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
- ^ "Exquisite full-size transportation-themed carousel manufactured by Wilhelm Hennecke of Germany in 1957. - Automobilia | Barrett-Jackson Auction Company - World's Greatest Collector Car Auctions". www.barrett-jackson.com. Archived from the original on 2026-02-25. Retrieved 2026-02-25.
- ^ "Kiddieland, Whatever happened to the Kiddieland Train?". discoverlivesteam.com. Archived from the original on 2026-02-25. Retrieved 2026-02-25.
- ^ "Discover Live Steam Magazine". www.discoverlivesteam.com. Retrieved 2026-02-25.
- ^ a b c "Kiddie Rides". Santa's Village AZoosment Park. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
- ^ "Kiddie Rides". Lake Winnie. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
- ^ Vikki Ortiz Healy. "Kiddieland auctions off rides; carousel sells for $355K" Chicago Breaking News Center. Retrieved 2009-11-24.
- ^ "The Carousel". Sonny's Place. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
- ^ "VINTAGE VEHICLE RESEARCH, RECOVERY and PRESERVATION". carchaeology. Retrieved 21 October 2022.