Ebenezer Floppen Slopper's Wonderful Water slides facts for kids

Ebenezer Floppen Slopper's Wonderful Water Slides was once a popular water park located on a hill in Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois. Today, it is an abandoned and forgotten place.

How the Park Started

From Landfill to Water Park

For many years, from 1951 to the late 1970s, the land where the water park now sits was owned by a local businessman named Clayburn Robinette. He first used it as a gravel pit, digging up sand and stones. Later, it became a landfill for certain types of waste. People in the area even called the hill "Mt Trashmore."

By the 1960s, the landfill reached ground level. It was then covered with concrete, bricks, and a thick layer of clay. This turned the flat area into a large hill. The hill was left unused and became overgrown with plants until the late 1970s.

A New Idea for a Hill

Around that time, a man named Mark Collor was driving by. He had grown up in River Forest and already ran a water slide park in another state. He saw the big hill and got a great idea!

"It's hard to find a hill in Chicago," Collor once said. "My friend and I saw that hill, and I thought, 'There's a hill!'"

Collor made a deal with the Robinette family to build two water slides and a few small buildings on the property. He named the park "Ebenezer Floppen Slopper's Wonderful Water Slides." The funny name came from a story his brother-in-law told him about meeting a man named Ebenezer Floppen.

Park Operations and Changes

First Slides and Quick Success

The park first opened on July 5, 1980. It started with just two simple, long concrete water slides. People would slide down on rubber mats, sometimes in groups of up to eight. The mats were different colors to help manage the crowds. For example, people with red mats would enter the slides at noon.

The water park quickly became very popular. It earned enough money to cover its building costs in just one month! People from nearby towns loved coming to ride the slides. After two years, Mark Collor sold the park to a businessman he knew from high school.

Adding More Slides

During the 1980s, the park grew and added five more slides. These new slides included:

• Two flat "racer" slides where people slid head-first on folded mats.
• Two "tube" slides that were partly enclosed.
• A smaller slide where riders used inner tubes and splashed into a nearby wading pool.

The main concrete slides were special because they had a blue rubber foam lining. This helped prevent injuries if riders bumped into the slide walls. Because of how the slides were shaped, people could even slide high up the walls when going fast around turns!

Around 1987, the large concrete slides were changed. They were resurfaced with flat bottoms that had humps and bumps. Riders would go down these renovated slides alone on inner tubes, bouncing and sliding sideways. To match these new rides, the park was renamed "Doc River's Roaring Rapids Water Park."

Why the Park Closed

Closure and Rumors

The water park closed for good at the end of the 1989 season. The exact reasons for its closure are not officially known. Since then, the slides and wading pool have been left to fall apart.

Because the park closed suddenly, many stories and rumors started to spread online. Some people claimed that teenagers were injured or even died on the slides. For example, one rumor said a teenager flew off a slide and died, leading to lawsuits. Another story claimed a kid got hurt badly at the end of a speed slide.

However, there is no real proof for these claims. They are most likely urban legends, which are popular stories that are not true. Other rumors suggested the park closed due to problems with water filters or because it was built on a landfill, which was later found to be a mistake. Again, there is no evidence to support these ideas.

The Park Today

The site is still owned by the Robinette family. They have put up security cameras, warning signs, and fences to keep people out. However, this has not stopped curious people, sometimes called "urban explorers," from visiting the abandoned park.

By 2009, the large concrete slides had many cracks. Small trees were even growing out of them! The blue rubber foam lining had peeled off, and the slides were filled with dirt and branches. Other parts of the park, like the racer slides and wading pool, were also cracked and overgrown with weeds.

As of 2019, if you drive by on Route 83, you can only see a few old lights that once lit up the water park. A large red billboard that says "Advertise Here" now sits at the top of the hill.