Riverview Park (Chicago)

This article is about the former amusement park in Chicago. For other uses, see Riverview Park (disambiguation).

Riverview Park
Main entrance to Riverview Park
Interactive map of Riverview Park
Location3300 North Western Avenue, Chicago, Illinois
Coordinates41°56′33″N 87°41′28″W / 41.9425320°N 87.6911674°W / 41.9425320; -87.6911674
StatusDefunct
OpenedJuly 2, 1904 (1904-07-02)
ClosedOctober 3, 1967 (1967-10-03)
Slogan
  • "Laugh your troubles away!"
  • "Chicago's famous amusement park!"
[1]

Riverview Park was an amusement park in Chicago, Illinois, United States which operated from 1904 to 1967. It was located on 74 acres (30 hectares) of land[2] in the Roscoe Village neighborhood of Chicago's North Center community area.[3]

History

Riverview Park was established in 1904 by William Schmidt, on the grounds of his private skeet shooting range.[4] 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.[5]

Enduring racially motivated myths described the park's "seedy" atmosphere in the 1950s and 1960s as it became more integrated between races.[6] 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.[6]

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

“You see this thing a lot, when African Americans begin going in large numbers [to amusement parks], the parks are increasingly associated with danger and criminality...”[6]

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.[6] 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 ($65,659,000 in 2025).[6]

The grounds eventually became home to the Riverview Plaza shopping center, the Chicago Police Area 3 Detective Division,[7] DePaul College Prep,[8] 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.[9] The park's carousel, the only ride from the park to be relocated elsewhere, continues to operate at Six Flags Over Georgia today.[10]

Rides and attractions

Name Year opened Year closed Manufacturer and type Image Description
Aerial Coaster 1908 1910 Aerial Tramway Construction Company, Steel suspended roller coaster Formerly known as Pottsdam Railway
Aladdin's Castle Unknown 1967 Funhouse
Big Dipper 1920 1967 Harry C. Baker and John A. Miller, Wooden roller coaster Formerly known as Zephyr and Comet
Blue Streak 1911 1923 Frederick Ingersoll and John A. Miller, Wooden side friction roller coaster May have also been known as Speedoplane
Bobs 1924 1967 Frank Prior and Frederick Church, Wooden roller coaster
Boomerang Unknown Unknown Unknown
Bump 'Em Unknown Unknown Bumper cars
Calypso Unknown Unknown Unknown
Cannon Ball 1919 1925 Fred W. Pearce, Benjamin E. Winslow, and John A. Miller; Wooden roller coaster
Carousel 1908 1967 Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters, Carousel Featured 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 Racer 1910 1931 Frederick Ingersoll and John A. Miller, Wooden dual-tracked side friction roller coaster
Expo Whirl 1910 Unknown
Ferris Wheel Unknown Unknown Ferris wheel
Fireball 1923 1967 Belmont Construction Company, Wooden roller coaster Originally opened as Skyrocket in 1923. Renamed to Blue Streak in 1936. Majorly rebuilt and renovated into Fireball in 1959.
Flying Cars 1954 1966 Car ride
Flying Scooter Unknown Unknown Bisch-Rocco, Flying Scooters
Flying Turns 1935 1967 John Norman Bartlett and John A. Miller, Wooden bobsled roller coaster Originally operated at the 1933 and 1934 World's Fairs
Freak show 1950s Unknown Live show A show that featured Betty Lou Williams (a four-legged woman) and magician Marshall Brodien
Gee Wiz 1912 1963 John A. Miller, Wooden roller coaster Formerly known as Greyhound
Hades Unknown Unknown Funhouse
Hell Gate Unknown Unknown Funhouse
Hot Rods 1955 1967 Race track
Jack Rabbit 1914 1932 Frederick Ingersoll and John A. Miller, Wooden roller coaster
Jetstream 1964 1967 Philadelphia Toboggan Coasters and John C. Allen, Wooden roller coaster
Kiddie Bobs 1926 1934 Frank Prior and Frederick Church, Wooden children's roller coaster
Krazy Ribbon 1923 Somewhere between 1943 to 1952 Wooden spinning (Virginia Reel) roller coaster Formerly known as Virginia Reel from 1923 to 1932
Metrodome 1911 Unknown Unknown
Miniature steam engine train Unknown Unknown Rideable miniature railway Coal-fired engine
Pair-O-Chutes 1937 1967 Free-fall parachute ride Formerly known as Eye-Full
Paratrooper 1960 Unknown Paratrooper
Pikes Peak Scenic Railway 1907 1911 "Barry", LaMarcus Adna Thompson, John A. Miller; Wooden roller coaster
Pippin 1921 1967 Harry C. Baker and John A. Miller, Wooden roller coaster Formerly known as Flash and Silver Flash
Racetrack 1907 Unknown Race track
Rotor 1952 1967 Orton & Spooner,[11] Rotor
Royal George Scenic Railway 1908 1920 "Barry" and John A. Miller, Wooden roller coaster
Shoot the Chutes Unknown 1967 Shoot the chutes
Space Ride 1963 1967 Sky ride
Strat-O-Stat Unknown Unknown Unknown
Tickler 1910 Unknown Tickler
Tilt-A-Whirl Unknown Unknown Sellner Manufacturing, Tilt-A-Whirl
Top 1917 Unknown Spiral Wheel Operating Corporation, Wooden Circular Gravity Railway roller coaster
Tunnel of Love Unknown 1967 Old Mill Formerly known as Thousand Islands and Mill on the Floss. Renamed to Tunnel of Love in 1950.
Velvet Coaster 1909 1919 Frederick Ingersoll and John A. Miller, Wooden roller coaster
White Flyer 1904 1920s LaMarcus Adna Thompson, Wooden roller coaster
Wild Mouse 1958 1967 B. A. Schiff & Associates,[12] Steel wild mouse roller coaster
Witching Waves 1910 Unknown Unknown

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.

WMS Industries' 1985 pinball game Comet was named after another coaster at the park, and Screamo (1959) featured various rides from the park.[13] 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.[14]

References

  1. ^ "Riverview Park (historical)". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. January 15, 1980. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
  2. ^ Gale, Neil (January 16, 2017). "Riverview (Amusement) Park, 3300 North Western Avenue, Chicago, Illinois. (1904-1967)". The Digital Research Library of Illinois History Journal. Retrieved November 6, 2022.
  3. ^ Shaffer, Randi (October 4, 2017). "50 Years Later: A Timeline of Chicago's Riverview Park". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved October 4, 2017.
  4. ^ Kogan, Rick. "Remembering Riverview Park, 50 years later". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  5. ^ Rosemont, Franklin (2002) Joe Hill: The IWW & the Making of a Revolutionary Workingclass Culture, Charles H. Kerr Publishing Company
  6. ^ a b c d e Heffernan, Shannon. "Laugh Your Troubles Away". wbez.org. National Public Radio. p. February 19, 2013. Retrieved February 11, 2023.
  7. ^ "Chicago Police Reopen 2 Detective Headquarters In Hopes Of Solving More Crimes". Block Club Chicago. April 30, 2020. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  8. ^ "DePaul College Prep acquires new campus". Crain's Chicago Business. August 1, 2019. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  9. ^ "The Reveler To Celebrate Grand Opening In Roscoe Village". North Center-Roscoe Village, IL Patch. August 24, 2018. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  10. ^ "Six Flags Over Georgia - Riverview Carousel | Ride | Six Flags Over Georgia". www.sixflags.com. Retrieved March 4, 2026.
  11. ^ Canfield, Victor (July 2, 2015). "Rotors". Pennsylvania State University. Archived from the original on May 7, 2021. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
  12. ^ "Wild Mouse".
  13. ^ Internet Pinball Database: IPDB.org
  14. ^ Marquardt, Dan (2009). "PINBALLS INFLUENCED BY RIVERVIEW AMUSEMENT PARK". Pinball News. Retrieved August 22, 2025.

Further reading

  • Gee, Derek; Lopez, Ralph (2000). Laugh Your Troubles Away: The Complete History of Riverview Park, Chicago, Illinois. Livonia, MI: Sharpshooter Productions. ISBN 978-0967604510.
  • Riverview Park Remembered, Facebook
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