Wonderland Amusement Park (Indianapolis) facts for kids
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Shoot the Chutes at Wonderland Amusement Park
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| Location | East Washington and Gray Sts Indianapolis, Indiana, United States |
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| Opened | 1906 |
| Closed | 1911 |
Wonderland Amusement Park was a popular park in Indianapolis, Indiana, that was open from 1906 to 1911. It was known as a "trolley park" because people often arrived by streetcar. The park was located near East Washington Street and Gray Street, surrounding a lovely lake.
Wonderland offered many exciting attractions. Visitors could enjoy a thrilling Shoot-the-Chutes water ride and a fun "scenic railway" roller coaster. The park's most famous feature was its 125-foot (38 m)-tall Electric Tower. Other attractions included a ride that showed the Johnstown Flood, a large dirigible called "Kann's War Air-Ship," a silly funhouse, and a dance pavilion. There were also many other games and exhibits spread across 24 buildings.
Besides the rides, Wonderland had live shows! Guests could see bands, amazing acrobats, animal acts, and vaudeville performances. Sometimes, even members of a "Filipino tribe" called the "Igorrote" were featured.
Wonderland was always competing with other nearby parks, like Riverside Amusement Park and White City. Each year, they tried to add new and better attractions to draw in crowds. In 1909, the park faced some local disagreement when it wanted to add a place to sell drinks. The community spoke up, and the park decided not to go ahead with it. Sadly, on August 27, 1911, Wonderland Amusement Park burned down and was never rebuilt.
Contents
The Story of Wonderland Amusement Park
How Wonderland Began
After Riverside Amusement Park opened successfully in Indianapolis in 1903, some local people decided to create their own park. Edward H. Rentsch and Minnie E. Wilson teamed up with Richard Kann from Milwaukee. In November 1905, they started the Wonderland Construction Company. Their goal was to "organize, promote and carry on pleasure resorts" and offer "lawful amusement."
By spring 1906, construction began on the east side of Indianapolis. The park was built on two city blocks that used to be a baseball field. It was located at the corner of East Washington and Gray Streets.
Grand Opening Day
Wonderland Amusement Park officially opened on a rainy May 19, 1906. Even with the bad weather, 8,000 people came to visit! It took two hours just to let everyone in. Admission cost ten cents for adults and five cents for children.
The park's tall Electric Tower and scenic railroad were ready a week before Riverside Amusement Park opened for the season. Another park, White City, also opened around this time. Amusement parks were very popular across the United States back then. Wonderland was lit up with about 50,000 light bulbs, just like the famous Luna Parks. It also had a powerful 100,000-watt searchlight.
Visitors walked through a grand archway with "Wonderland" written on it. The park's offices were on each side of this arch. All the buildings inside the park were painted white with yellow trim. This was a nod to the original White City at the 1893 World's Fair.
Exciting Rides and Shows in 1906
Wonderland had many fun things to do when it first opened. Besides the Electric Tower (which people could climb) and the scenic railroad, there was a popular Shoot-the-Chutes water ride. A funhouse called "The Third Degree" was a big hit, along with a circle swing ride. There was also a giant slide called "Bump the Bump" that both kids and adults enjoyed. Other rides included a Whip ride and an exhibit that showed the Johnstown Flood. An skating rink, an arcade, and restaurants were also popular.
Live entertainment quickly became a main reason people visited Wonderland. There were trick motorcyclists, bands, acrobats, and vaudeville acts. A unique exhibit featured Igorot people from the Philippines. The park even had an elephant mascot that would bathe in the Shoot-the-Chutes lagoon, which many guests loved to watch.
The attractions at Wonderland changed often, even in its first year. In June 1906, Kann's War Airship arrived. It was named after one of the park owners, Richard Kann. This airship was built in Indianapolis and temporarily stayed at the park. Visitors could see it for free in its aerodrome. It even took short flights over the park each day it was there.
New Fun in 1907
In 1907, Wonderland added more exciting acts. There were horse shows and a famous bull named King Bill. King Bill even made headlines when a loud band instrument scared him, and he jumped into the crowd! A new band shell was built, and a monkey house opened with 48 new monkeys. (Riverside Amusement Park also added monkeys later that year.)
Acrobats and aerialists returned to Wonderland in 1907, including an albino aerialist. Stunt bicyclists, who were very popular at the time, replaced the stunt motorcyclists.
Besides the monkeys, horses, and King Bill, Wonderland also had other trained animals. In 1907, visitors could see lions, ostriches, alligators, and elephants.
As competition grew between the three Indianapolis parks, Wonderland had to keep adding new things. It was the only major park in Indianapolis without easy water access, so it had to spend a lot of money on new rides and shows. This made it harder for the park to stay open. Even though the three parks together attracted one million visitors in 1906–1907, the costs were rising.
Because of these rising costs, Wonderland's ownership changed. The Wonderland Construction Company became the Wonderland Amusement Company. New leaders took over, including E. I. Fisher as president. They sold shares in the company to help keep the park profitable.
Exciting Additions in 1908
The new owners quickly improved Wonderland, adding eight new attractions in 1908. A new restaurant opened, and a building called "The Flatiron" became very popular. It had "human squirrel cake" and tricky floors, carpets, and ceilings. The Flatiron was advertised as a "show" for those who wanted "harmless excitement with a touch of terror."
Other new features included "Brewster's Millions" (inspired by a popular book), "Ray's Manikans," "The Tickler," "Battle Royal," and the "Old Swimmin' Hole."
People at the restaurant enjoyed their sodas while watching live entertainment. Vaudeville shows were a main attraction, along with performances by Sleight's Military Band. In June 1908, Millie Spellman brought her drinking and cigarette-smoking bears to Wonderland. This was when the Teddy bear craze was just starting in the United States.
The new attractions helped the park's finances for a while. Meanwhile, rival parks were also trying new things. White City added new attractions and finished building a huge swimming pool. Riverside Amusement Park cut back on building new rides and advertising, relying on its existing attractions and showing off "the world's largest steer."
On the night of June 26, 1908, White City was destroyed by fire. Only its swimming pool, which was supposed to open the next morning, was left. Wonderland had its biggest attendance ever on July 4, 1908, for its annual Independence Day celebrations.
This success encouraged the owners to plan for expansion. Some of these plans, including building a place to sell drinks, were shared with the public. When these plans were officially announced in March 1909, Wonderland faced a big controversy.
Challenges and Changes (1909–1911)
After a successful 1908, Wonderland's owners planned to expand the park eastward. This area was near Irvington, a suburb where selling alcohol was not allowed. By mid-March, neighbors became worried when rumors of a new place to sell drinks on the park's expanded property were confirmed. On March 23, a group of local mothers and temperance groups started a petition. They asked Wonderland to withdraw its request for a license to sell drinks. They believed that selling drinks would harm both park visitors and the community.
The very next day, the park withdrew its request. Instead of a place to sell drinks, a "German Village" would be built. The park said it listened to the petitions. However, the main reason for the change was that local delivery drivers started avoiding the park once the controversy began. The companies that made drinks also joined in, worried about the issue spreading to them.
This controversy did not help the park, as fewer people were visiting amusement parks across the country. By the middle of the 1909 season, attendance was so low that the park no longer stayed open all the time. Eventually, Wonderland only opened for "special events" when groups rented the park for private parties.
From 1909 to 1911, the park's main customer was the International Interdenominational County Fair. Money from the fair helped a local charity called the Summer Mission for Sick Children. The fair's organizers promoted the park, saying that Wonderland had newly fixed its Shoot-the-Chutes and scenic railway rides for the 1911 fair.
The 1911 Police Visit
The 1911 International Interdenominational County Fair started well, bringing the biggest crowds since 1908 for the first three days. However, on the sixth day, the German Village had a police visit. The park had been hinting about a new attraction called the "Blind Tiger" for weeks. The manager, Peter B. Trone, told local news that his place would be the only "wet" spot in the park, even though they didn't have a license to sell drinks.
Knowing that "blind tiger" meant a place selling alcohol illegally, the Indianapolis Police Department raided the building on its opening day, August 17, 1911. Trone delayed the police, giving bartenders time to hide the illegal drinks. Customers quickly drank ginger ale to clear their mouths. The police found no evidence to arrest anyone but promised another raid if the "Blind Tiger" stayed open.
The County Fair finished its 1911 run at Wonderland the next day without more problems. This was almost the last event for Wonderland, as the end of the season was near.
The End of Wonderland
Wonderland advertised in media for African Americans for the first time on August 26, 1911. This also turned out to be their last advertisement. After a week where the park was used only by the Colored Pythians, the ad announced that the next day was the last of the 1911 season. It also said that Wonderland would be "open exclusively for colored people." The day was a success, and the Colored Pythians celebrated and left the park before it closed at 11:00 pm.
Less than two hours later, the park's night watchman saw flames and called the local fire department. Half an hour later, the first fire truck arrived, but the merry-go-round and the Shoot-the-Chutes were already burning. By 3:00 am, the entire park was on fire. By dawn, the firefighters had put out the flames, but almost everything in the park was destroyed. Wonderland never reopened. Authorities believed the fire was caused by a discarded cigarette.
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Shoot the Chutes at Wonderland Amusement Park
