Riverside Amusement Park (Indianapolis) facts for kids

Riverside Amusement Park was a fun amusement park in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. It was open from 1903 to 1970. It started as a project between an engineer named Frederick Ingersoll and some Indianapolis business people. The park was built next to Riverside City Park near the White River.

History

How the Park Started (Early Years)

On January 6, 1903, the Riverside Amusement Company officially started. This meant they became a legal business. The park opened in May of the same year and was an instant hit!

One of the most popular rides was a figure 8 roller coaster. There was also a fun looking-glass maze. The first manager, Frank P. Thomas, Sr., decided not to charge money to enter the park. Instead, people paid for each ride, like 5 cents for the "double-eight toboggan railway."

Even though Frederick Ingersoll moved on to other projects, the park kept growing. In 1904, they added an Old Mill ride. This ride took people in boats through a dark tunnel into a fake flour mill. In 1906, J.S. Sandy became the new manager. He hired 120 people to make the park bigger and better. They added live shows and made it easier for people to get to the park using streetcars.

On May 6, 1906, about 30,000 people visited the park on opening day. This was a huge number for Indianapolis at the time! Soon, two other amusement parks, Wonderland and White City, opened nearby. These parks competed to attract visitors. Sadly, White City was destroyed by fire in 1908, and Wonderland burned down three years later.

Riverside Amusement Park kept adding exciting new things. These included an "aerial swing," a Japanese bowling alley, a "Gee Whiz" ride, an electric carousel, a miniature railway, and many arcade games. They also built a huge (350 feet long) shoot-the-chutes water ride. All the new rides had bright lights, just like the famous Luna Parks. The park also made money from its skating rink, dancing pavilion, canoes, and rowboats. In 1910, they added a bathing beach with a tall diving tower.

New Owners and Changes

In 1919, the park got new owners. A lawyer named Lewis Coleman took control. He formed the Riverside Exhibition Company. Under Coleman, the park added two big roller coasters called The Flash and The Thriller. They also put in Dodgem cars, which are like today's bumper cars. The miniature railroad was made longer, and the dancing pavilion became a bigger roller skating rink. New concrete buildings were built for games and food stands. These changes helped more people visit the park again.

However, Lewis Coleman also started a policy that was not fair. Only white people were allowed to visit the park most of the time. African American people could only visit on special, designated days. This policy stayed in place for almost 50 years.

In 1939, Lewis Coleman's son, John, took over the park. John kept the park running during World War II. He helped military families and promoted patriotism in the park's advertising.

After World War II ended, more people started visiting Riverside Amusement Park. People had more cars and more free time. In 1952, about one million people visited the park's midway and skating rink. John Coleman added new rides, like an automobile turnpike ride, which was also popular at the new Disneyland. But, new theme parks like Disneyland and the rise of cars also led to the park's closing later on.

Why the Park Closed

The 1960s were a tough time for Riverside Amusement Park. Fewer people were visiting. In 1963, John Coleman finally ended the unfair policy that limited when African Americans could visit. This happened after protests by the NAACP Youth Council. Even with this change, the park was losing a lot of money.

The cost of insurance, maintenance, and new rides went up. Also, new theme parks were becoming very popular. Because of these reasons, John Coleman closed Riverside Amusement Park for good at the end of the 1970 season. All the rides were sold or torn down by 1978.

The land where the park once stood was empty for more than 20 years. Then, new houses were built there in the early 2000s.