Oaks Amusement Park facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Oaks Amusement Park

Entrance to Oaks Park (remodeled in 2001)
Location	7805 SE Oaks Park Way Portland, Oregon, U.S.
Coordinates	45°28′23″N 122°39′38″W / 45.4730°N 122.66061°W / 45.4730; -122.66061
Opened	May 30, 1905; 120 years ago (May 30, 1905)
Owner	Oaks Park Association
Slogan	Where the fun never ends!
Operating season	Spring weekends and daily during summer (rides) Tuesdays–Sundays (rink)
Area	44 acres (18 ha)
Attractions
Total	24
Roller coasters	2
Website	http://www.oakspark.com/

Oaks Park is a fun amusement park located just 3.5 miles south of downtown Portland, Oregon, in the United States. It first opened its doors in May 1905. This makes it one of the oldest amusement parks in the country that has been open continuously!

The park covers 44 acres and has lots to do. You can find exciting midway games and about two dozen rides. These rides are open during spring weekends and every day in the summer. Oaks Park also has a skating rink that is open all year long. Plus, there are nice picnic areas for families and friends. A special part of the park is the Herschell–Spillman Noah's Ark Carousel. This historic wooden carousel was built way back in 1912.

The History of Oaks Park

Oaks Park was first planned to be a big attraction for the 1905 Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition. The Oregon Water Power and Railway Company built it. It opened on May 30, 1905. Back then, many parks like this were built along streetcar lines to encourage people to ride the streetcars.

In its first year, 300,000 people visited Oaks Park. It stayed very popular for its first ten years. Some people at the time worried about the new types of entertainment offered.

Changes in Ownership and Early Rides

In the early 1920s, John Cordray, one of the park's managers, bought Oaks Park. After he passed away in 1925, Edward Bollinger, the park's superintendent, took over. He bought the land for the park in 1943.

Some of the very first rides were super exciting!

• The Chute the Chutes was a ride where you slid down a steep hill and splashed into a small lake.
• The Barrel of Fun was a funhouse with screaming skeletons, mirror mazes, and dark hallways.
• The Mystic River Ride was a boat ride that went through dark tunnels.

The park also had a floating bathhouse on the river. A large dance pavilion hosted famous music groups. These included the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the John Philip Sousa Marching Band.

Surviving Floods

In 1948, a big flood called the Vanport flood covered Oaks Park for a whole month. Many oak trees were lost, and most of the rides were damaged. The skating rink took five months to fix. After this, the owners rebuilt the rink floor on special airtight iron barrels. This way, the floor would float if another flood happened. This clever idea worked during the Christmas flood of 1964 and the Willamette Valley Flood of 1996.

After his father's death, Robert Bollinger took over the park in 1949.

Trains and Movies

For many years, three old steam locomotives were displayed near the park. These included Southern Pacific 4449, Spokane, Portland and Seattle 700, and Oregon Railroad & Navigation Co. 197. They are now at the Oregon Rail Heritage Center in Portland.

In 1985, Robert Bollinger gave Oaks Amusement Park to a non-profit group called the Oaks Park Association. This group still runs the park today. Their goal is to keep the historic amusement park open. They want it to be an affordable, safe, and family-friendly place for everyone.

The park became famous when it appeared in the movie Free Willy. Many rides, like the Screamin' Eagle, were shown in the film. The roller skating rink was even used as the entrance to the aquatic theater where Willy was kept.

In 2005, Oaks Park celebrated 100 years of being open. This makes it one of the oldest parks in the U.S.

In 2024, the AtmosFear ride had a small issue during a school trip. It stopped at the top with riders for about 20 minutes before everyone was safely brought down.

Exciting Attractions

Aerial view of Oaks Amusement Park, showing the attractions and the Willamette River

Current Rides and Games

The Rock-O-Plane ride at Oaks Park

The park's rides and midway games are open on weekends in the spring. They are open every day during the summer. Here are some of the fun rides you can enjoy:

Roller Coasters

South End Rides

East End Fun

Hand-carved wooden detail on the Herschell-Spillman Noah's Ark Carousel

North End Adventures

• Chipper's Woods Miniature Golf (added in 2011)

Roller Skating Rink

The park has a large wooden roller skating rink that is open all year. It measures 100 by 200 feet. The rink has a special pipe organ that has been there for most of its history. Since 1955, it has been a Wurlitzer organ. This organ was moved from a theater in Portland and its pipes hang over the skate floor!

Past Rides at Oaks Park

Over the years, Oaks Park has had many different rides. Here are a few that are no longer there:

• The Zip was a famous roller coaster that ran from 1927 to 1934.
• The Scenic Railway was a wooden roller coaster that closed in 1935.
• Mad Mouse and Monster Mouse were both "wild mouse" style roller coasters.
• Looping Thunder was a steel roller coaster with loops. It closed in 2017 to make room for the new Adrenaline Peak.
• The Haunted Mine was a spooky dark ride.
• Screamin' Eagle was a thrilling ride that spun and swung. It closed in 2017 and was replaced by AtmosFear.

See also

• Jantzen Beach Amusement Park
• Lotus Isle
• Springwater Corridor, a path that used to be a rail line that served the park.
• List of incidents at independent amusement parks