Every summer from 1904 to 1967, for 63 years, Riverview--the world's largest amusement park--opened its gates to millions of people from all walks of life. For three generations, the Schmidt's family park offered rides, shows, food, and music to men, women, and especially children. Riverview survived depressions, two World Wars, labor disputes, Prohibition, and a World's Fair that threatened to take a great deal of its business. Riverview Amusement Park tells the story of Riverview's growth from 22 acres and three rides to 140 acres and more than 100 attractions. Through an extensive collection of never-before published images, author Dolores Haugh chronicles the tale of this impressive chapter of Chicago history. Known as the "Roller Coaster Capital of America," Riverview remained a Chicago landmark until it was unexpectedly closed in 1967.
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About the Author
Ms. Haugh has been a journalist for more than 50 years. She was named "Woman of the Year" by the Illinois Women's Press Association and a "Living Legend" by the Village of Mount Prospect. A founding member, past president, and director emeritus of the Mount Prospect Historical Society, she established three museums and many civic organizations. Riverview has been her favorite research project since 1967 when the park closed.
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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Better suited for historians,
This review is from: Riverview Amusement Park (IL) (Images of America) (Paperback)
I can't deny that a lot of research went into this book, but I still found it disappointing because it wasn't exactly what I was expecting. The bulk of this volume deals with Riverview's pre-1930 history, while the period from World War II to the park's sudden demise in 1967 only gets limited coverage photo-wise. If you're curious about Riverview's early years or if you're an aficionado of amusement-park history, this book may interest you. However, if you have indelible memories of visiting Riverview during the last two or three decades of its existence, you won't find much photo material here. And photographs are the main appeal of an image-laden publication like this.
Let's face it: the people who are still around to remember Riverview these days are people who remember it from its post-WWII period. There's simply not enough material from this era to satisfy this demographic.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Riverview Memories,
By Daisy Rose (The Villages, FL., USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Riverview Amusement Park (IL) (Images of America) (Paperback)
I grew up in Chicago on the Northwest side so was excited to find a book on Riverview Amusement Park because in my mind there has never been another amusement park like it after it closed. This book gives an excellent view on the background of the park and how it came to be through the years - in an odd bit of fate I ended up working on the grounds of the park after it was demolished and the City of Chicago built a police station on part of it.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Highly recommended,
By Kurt A. Johnson (North-Central Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER) (VINE VOICE) (TOP 100 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Riverview Amusement Park (IL) (Images of America) (Paperback)
Riverview Amusement Park is gone, but not forgotten. Many older Chicago residents still remember that grand amusement park as one of the greatest attractions Chicago had. Well, this book does a pretty darn good job of bringing the park back to life. It is chockfull of black-and-white pictures, covering its history from the original 19th century Sharpshooters Park, through to its final demise in 1967.
Now, as you might expect with such a slim book, it cannot possibly cover all parts of the park's history in much depth. In fact, it is quite true that there are few post-WW2 pictures included. But, nonetheless, I found this to be an interesting history of the park, including many wonderful pictures and interesting text. I don't hesitate to recommend this wonderful book.
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First Sentence:
Sharpshooters Park was located on the banks of the Chicago River between Belmont Avenue and Roscoe Street, on Western Avenue, on the northwest side of Chicago. Read the first page Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Courtesy of Schmidt Collection, Courtesy of Riverview Archives, Sharpshooters Park, Courtesy of Jeske Collection, George Schmidt, Western Avenue, World's Fair, Bill Schmidt, Philadelphia Toboggan Company, Thousand Islands, World War, Big Bill, Mardi Gras, Riverview Company, Tom Mix, William Schmidt, Chicago River, Courtesy of Cleary Collection New!
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Sharpshooters Park was located on the banks of the Chicago River between Belmont Avenue and Roscoe Street, on Western Avenue, on the northwest side of Chicago. Read the first page Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Courtesy of Schmidt Collection, Courtesy of Riverview Archives, Sharpshooters Park, Courtesy of Jeske Collection, George Schmidt, Western Avenue, World's Fair, Bill Schmidt, Philadelphia Toboggan Company, Thousand Islands, World War, Big Bill, Mardi Gras, Riverview Company, Tom Mix, William Schmidt, Chicago River, Courtesy of Cleary Collection New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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