Amusement Parks

Descendants of the medieval trade fairs and European pleasure gardens of the late 17th and 18th centuries, amusement parks have evolved from providing adult entertainment to being one of American families' favorite recreational places as leisure time and disposable personal income increased.

Originally picnic grounds including a few primitive rides, the first American amusement parks developed at the end of the 19th century under the influence of the trolley companies, which wanted to stimulate weekend ridership to generate additional revenues and maximize the flat monthly rate charged by the electric light and power companies, and Chicago's Columbian Exposition of 1893, which introduced the key elements of modern amusement parks. The World's Fair unveiled the exotic enticements of the Midway Plaisance and the first Ferris wheel, which provided visitors with a spectacular view of the city from 264 feet above the ground. The White City offered also the safe experience of an enclosed and temporary ideal world artificially produced by architects, engineers, and planners. The following year, Captain Paul Boynton launched Chutes Park in Chicago, the first enclosed amusement park charging an admission fee; and in 1895, he opened Sea Lion Park at Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York, which inspired many amusement parks in the United States, such as Sea World in California and Florida.

Coney Island, once called the Empire of the Nickel, started its metamorphosis from a traditional seaside resort into the world's most popular playground with the completion of Andrew Culver's Prospect Park and the Coney Island Trailway in 1875. From the 1890s until the mid-1950s, it epitomized the American amusement park tradition. Steeplechase Park (1897–1964), Luna Park (1903–1947), and Dreamland (1904–1911) attracted millions of working-class New Yorkers who wanted to escape their responsibilities and mundane urban daily life to enjoy the intense thrills provided by the scary roller coasters and the wonderful atmosphere of fantasy, sensuality, and chaos created by the gaudy architectural structures, impressive lighting, and disorienting attractions.

By 1920, more than 1,800 amusement parks, usually located at the end of a trolley line, operated in the United States. Nevertheless, this golden age subsided [Page 31]quickly and a dramatic decline started in the 1920s as Americans enjoyed the new mobility provided by automobiles. Unable to provide adequate parking facilities and affected by Prohibition, some years of bad summer weather, the acquisition of parks by private individuals, the Stock Market Crash of 1929, and the Great Depression, numerous urban amusement parks closed. By 1939, only 245 parks remained and the downward sloping trend continued during World War II.

The postwar baby boom and the creation of “kiddielands” allowed amusement parks to experience some brief revival, but the dramatic cultural transformations of the 1950s (such as the suburbanization of the middle class, the intensification of racial tensions, and inner city decay) made them increasingly obsolete, unable to compete with shopping malls, the television, and more sophisticated entertainments. The traditional parks irreversibly deteriorated, but a new concept soon emerged. It was Walt Disney's $17 million brilliant and iconic dream.

On July 17, 1955, Walt Disney's Magic Kingdom, more commonly referred to as Disneyland, opened in Anaheim, California. The first modern U.S. theme park was born and radically affected the future development of the amusement park industry. Despite the early skepticism generated by the absence of traditional attractions, it became an instant success. Disneyland featured five separate fantasy worlds—Main Street, U.S.A., Fantasyland, Adventureland, Frontierland, and Tomorrowland—and included themes borrowed from Disney's popular motion pictures. In 1956, Disneyland attracted nearly four million tourists who delighted in discovering different times and spaces with maximum thrill and illusion of danger while simultaneously experiencing a spotless and idyllic universe without sex, violence, or social problems. The 50-millionth visitor entered the turnstiles in 1965 and the park has maintained its exceptional popularity ever since, becoming a pilgrimage destination for middle-class families. Contrary to the traditional amusement park, which attracted undesirable guests such as prostitutes, rakes, smugglers, and thieves, and the development of criminal activities as their popularity grew, Disneyland is the prototypical theme park, planned and engineered down to the tiniest detail to ensure perfect safety, control, and predictability.

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