Riverview Park

:"This is an article about the amusement park called Riverview Park. For the neighborhood of that name in Ottawa, Canada, see Riverview (Ottawa). For the amusement park of that name in Baltimore, see Riverview Park (Baltimore)."Riverview Park was an amusement park in Chicago, Illinois which operated from 1904 to 1967. It was located on 74 acres (0.3 km²) in the area around Belmont and Western Avenues in the North Center community area and neighborhood on Chicago's north side.

Riverview was most known for The Bobs roller coaster. Other popular coasters were The Comet and The Silver Flash.Another roller coaster at the park was the Jetstream. Aladdin's Castle was a classic fun-house with collapsing stairway, maze and turning barrel. Shoot the Chutes, Hades, the Rotor, Tilt-a-Whirl, Wild Mouse and Tunnel of Love are just a few of the many classic rides.

The former grounds are now home to Riverview Plaza shopping center, the Belmont District Police Station, DeVry University, and a manufacturing company. A sculpture entitled "Riverview" by local artist Jerry Peart (1980) stands in front of the police station.

"Big Bill" Haywood, the Industrial Workers of the World leader, once spoke here to a crowd of almost 80,000 people.(Rosemont, Franklin (2002) Joe Hill: The IWW & the Making of a Revolutionary Workingclass Culture, Charles H. Kerr Publishing Company)

Memorabilia from the park is now considered to be quite valuable. Many items from the old park, as well as many paintings portraying Riverview in its glory days, are on display at its namesake, Riverview Tavern, on the corner of West Roscoe Street and Damen Avenue.

The beautiful Riverview Carousel continues to operate at Six Flags Over Georgia. It and the Rotor were the only rides to be saved, however, the Rotor was scrapped in 2000 after an accident at its newer home.

Riverview Park in Wisconsin Dells

An unrelated amusement park in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin operates under the name of Riverview Park, and has since at least 1971.

Its name comes not from the Chicago amusement park, but from the Riverview Boat Line, a longtime operator of excursion boats and other attractions in Wisconsin Dells.

External links

* [http://history.amusement-parks.com/riverviewmain.htm Amusement Park History]
* [http://www.defunctparks.com/parks/IL/riverview/riverviewpark.htm Defunct Parks site]
* [http://www.riverviewparkchicago.com/ RiverviewParkChicago.com]
* [http://www.riverviewmemories.com Riverview Memories]