Customer Reviews

Springlake Amusement Park (Images of America: Oklahoma)

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If you lived in or around Oklahoma City from the mid-30's to the mid 70's,Springlake Amusement Park was a prime destination, especially if you were a kid. This new book (more of a pictorial really) takes us from Springlake's beginnings all the way to it's rather sad end. Before this, pictures of the park were scarce and there was precious little else to be seen save the occasional memorabilia that pops up on E-Bay. The author has delved deep into public and private archives to offer up some amazing photos of all areas of this great Oklahoma City attraction. This was a magical place for two generations and the book does a great job of showcasing Springlake from both a historical perspective and a personal objective. As a kid whose father drove the train at the park, I spent many a glorious summer there. This book helps capture that bygone era and all of those fond memoroies when times were simple, and ample fun could be had from something as simple as a merry-go-round. Roger Harris-Ada, Oklahoma

Obviously I am one of the legions that feel their favorite memories of Springlake were minimized or ignored completely but my main displeasure is the revisionist history found throughout the book. I almost completely agree with Mr. McDonald concerning the park's demise.
One minor point I would add is I recall some Black families being as much at fault as the roving Black gangs. (Note: In this case, "gangs" is used in the traditional sense as opposed to the current highly organized, drug oriented image."

Apparently inspired by then-recent progress in "equal rights" politics, some Black people felt compelled to seek their own proof... or, maybe it was revenge.
In the late '60s~early '70s, I was dating a young lady who had two sons by a previous marriage. We attempted several "family" trips to Springlake before racial tensions forced us away.
A typical happening was "line cuts." Many of the popular attractions almost always had a waiting line... sometimes a long line. White families might wait in a line for 20 minutes to an hour only to see a group of Black kids to push their way into the front of the line. In the many times I experienced or observed this activity, I almost always instinctively looked around wondering, "Where the *###* are these kid's parents?" They were easy to spot because they were the ones with a smug, superior sneer and eyes that just screamed, "Start something, I dare you!" Obviously, the kids were just tools.
So, we started for home with no further hesitation.
I honestly believe those years set desegregation back several decades and minted many new racists.
Let me be perfectly clear that a small minority of Black families were involved in this kind of demonstration. I doubt the average Black family enjoys In-Your-Face confrontations any more than white families. Most of us just wanted to avoid trouble so we quit going where trouble was likely. That left the door open to the gangs of kids who soon became very destructive until years after the park closed. The implied racism of park owners/managers may be true but, if so, I don't think it was a significant contributor to the eventual closure.
One other thing:
I also recall a day when Fats Domino was the amphitheater attraction. Fats and his band played all afternoon to a non-playing mob of mostly white kids trying to dance in the small pavilion.
Thanks, Mr. D! You truly are a great and generous person.

I grew up going to Springlake so this was an excellent way to go back and look at the park and remember those good times. The narrative and pictures in the book are excellent and bring back alot of memories.

Because Springlake was such a part of our growing up I was really excited about the just released book and had planned to buy several copies to give family members for Christmas. But except for the pictures that brought back a lot of memories I found the book to be a big disappointment. There's no way the history of Springlake could be written without the unfortunate demise connecting with the changing culture of the country but Loudenback's book was more of a editorial than a history. My great-grandparents were managers of the Sinopoulo estate, the developers of Delmar Gardens, so our connection with amusement parks in Oklahoma go back a hundred years. The Sinopoulo place is on Kelley not far from Springlake so my mother and her sisters got to go to the park when they were visiting their grandparents in the 20s and 30s. In turn, as youngsters, my brother and sister and I traveled to Oklahoma City every summer during the 1940's and 50's for our day at the zoo and Springlake. We also went with church groups, Scout groups and youth baseball teams. Then in the early 60's we attended Oklahoma Christian College, just a few miles away and made good use of Springlake as "cheap" amusement. So our family has an important link to such a magical place. The change in societal issues was long overdue and needed but it wasn't just at Springlake. The park just became a lightening rod because of how famous it was and much of it was because of the location. Nothing is mentioned about the biggest reason for "white flight" and the need for what seems today to be terrible "rules" - it was the gangs, not the ordinary black families and young people. In fact, families of any color discontinued going to Springlake by the end of the 60's as well as many other similar places. My last trip was about 1968 when I went as a chaperone with a Sunday School class from out of town and it was an unpleasant experience as young men walked about in groups and we felt intimidated. The sad ending to Springlake is a story that must be told but one chapter at the end instead of continual remarks would have sufficed. I also didn't like Mr. Loudenback's smart remarks about the dress of the people in the photos or their actions . . . way too much editorializing and "cute" remarks. I wish he had stuck to a standard history of Springlake Amusement Park. I won't be giving my 90 year old mother a copy - I don't think Loudenback's words are the way she remembers Springlake.

The book tells a great story about one of the most historical and compelling locations in Oklahoma City. This was the place to go, the place to be, and the place to talk about for thousands.

I worked at the amusement park while completing my education at the then Central State College in Edmond. This was my summer job while in school. I met my future wife while working there.

My wife and I, our mothers, my aunt and a cousin or so worked in this magic kingdom of the midwest. The book also reminds us of the tremendous amount of free entertainment that was a big part of Springlake. Little known and well known names had their names on the marqee.

As former employees, we are a part of this book as well. Thank you for making us famous.

Great in depth review of the era and the events surrounding this historical park. The pics are wonderful. Highly Recommended.