Captain Paul Boyton came to Chicago in 1886 to give an exhibition of swimming feats and aquatic tricks at Cheltenham Beach, 79th Street and the lake, the site of Chicago's first amusement park. The Cheltenham Beach (renamed "Rainbow Beach" after WWI) venture failed after only one season, but Boyton, having seen Chicago, returned to settle here two years later. Chicago's 1893 World's Columbian Exposition became the first world's fair to feature a separate amusement zone - the mile-long - Midway Plaisance. The Midway's gathering of diverse amusements in a single enclosure with an admission charge established the essential concept of the amusement park. Every fair and carnival since has had its own Midway.
In 1894 Boyton used that concept to open America's first modern amusement park, “Paul Boyton's Water Chutes” at 63rd Street and Cottage Grove Avenue, near the site of the former World’s Fair Midway.
Its success led the Captain to open another park, "Sea Lion Park," at Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York, (it would later become Luna Park), a top entertainment spot, in 1895. Later, he franchised his Water Chutes Parks in San Francisco, Boston, and Philadelphia.
Boyton's enterprise inspired George C. Tilyou, owner of various amusements then scattered all about Coney's beachfront to open the island's second park, Steeplechase, in 1897. By that time, Chicago had a second park; George Ferris had moved his giant wheel to its own park on North Clark Street calling it “Ferris Wheel Park.”
The amusement park idea spread rapidly across America in the next decade. At its peak, Coney Island had three major amusement parks; Chicago, in that same period, boasted no less than five.
Chutes Park, Captain Boyton's original park, relocated on the Westside to Jackson Boulevard and Kedzie Avenue and featured Chicago's first miniature railroad, two roller coasters, one was the first loop-the-loop roller coaster, a giant swing, merry-go-rounds, and various smaller attractions on a 7½ acre plot.
Paul Boyton's Chutes Park was permanently closed in 1907. In 1907 the legal fight against the traction [streetcar] barons had the public demanding the consolidation of the city's streetcar lines. The Chicago Union Traction Company was ordered to dissolved and its north and west side properties were foreclosed on. One of these properties was Chutes Park's location. It was, really, the only thing that could have killed the park, despite competition from newer parks like Riverview and White City. Chutes was still a moneymaker. Daily admissions ran as high as $28,000 to $30,000 ($825,000 daily today). In the 13 years that Chutes Park was in business, they paid out more than 500% in dividends (avg. 38.4615% per year) to its stockholders. On April 22, 1908, the last remaining rides and fixtures of the park Paul Boyton had started were sold at auction. The Chicago Railways Company, which had foreclosed on the land, built trolly car barns on the site. Today it is still occupied by Chicago Railways' successor, the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA). When it went out of business in 1908, Chutes park president Charles R. Frances was granted the concession to build Riverview Park's colossal Shoot-the-Chutes ride.
Chap's Amusement Park was located one block south of the Junction of Routes 48-51 & 121, on the far North side of Decatur. Some of the rides included a merry-go-round, Ferris wheel, and a Miniature train that circled the park with an out-and-back through a field. Skee Ball was popular along with other games of chance. Besides the rides, Chap's had a roller skating rink.
I was contacted by Ms. Lucian Johnson who recalls Chap's from her childhood and wished to share her memories. She focused on the rides and the park's layout. "These are all the rides I remember," said Ms. Johnson.
The Caterpillar: A somewhat rickety roller coaster with a gimmick. The cars were convertible. They had a cover, or awning, that came up and over from the left side and looked sort of like the cover on an old Conestoga wagon, or covered wagon.
A vintage covered caterpillar point-of-view ride.
Looking down through wooden slats that served as footrests, I could see the big black wheels and pulleys and a cable all spinning and sliding under the loops. I’d pull my feet up! After a pass or two around the track, you would start back up and the cover, the "cocoon" of the caterpillar would come up and over blinding you, and you'd do a pass enveloped. I recall this as being fairly alarming. Also alarming to my mind was the train of cars swishing thorough some boughs of a near-by tree, and seeing a branch or two swaying under me with in the area enclosed by the top of the higher loop of the coaster. I remember that the cocoon wasn’t working on some of my rides. I think it broke and never got fixed.
The Airplanes: These were tubular metal frames of a biplane shape, pretty big to my young eyes with flat panels between tubes suggesting the wings and forming the body. Thick cables kept them suspended as they were twirled. I recall the impression that they were both more crude and stouter looking, and just bigger than some other, more modern airplane ride I saw at some other fair. Possibly a fair or ride set up in the parking lot of Shoppers World? I remember trying to figure out if the Chaps planes would glide to the ground or just fall should the cables snap. I think I settled on an optimistic view.
The Boats: Simple, yet cool and mysterious. It was just a big round tank of water with a number of wooden boats floating in it. A central turnstile revolved and projecting shafts had, each, one boat bow tied to it with a short length of rope. Around you went, bobbing and splashing just a little. Occasionally bumping. But the water was dark and greenish, and if you were around 5, it might have any number of strange forms of life lurking in its depths.
Picture from the Kiddieland in Melrose Park, Illinois.
The Train: Also called "the bumpy train." It was blue. I don’t recall anything unique about it. It would putt... putt... putt... around in a circle, but what joy to sway side to side in it as it went.
The Gas Powered Tractors: My memory of these is kind of dim. They were half-pint tricycle configuration tractors. Loud and powerful engines. They were enclosed inside a track area with a three-foot-high wall. The tractors all had an 8-ball on the stick shift. I was too small to be allowed to operate one. I remember my dad setting me on a seat and operating it for me for one ride. What I do remember is being frustrated that I couldn’t make it go with the shift lever.
But the most memorable aspect of Chaps, was Mr. Chaps himself, zipping about his park on some sort of small golf cart or large riding mower. He was really overweight, and might not have been able to do the rounds on foot. The Layout:As I recall, if you stood in the center of the park looking toward the parking lot, then the train was at your 12 o'clock, The airplanes at 2, the Caterpillar was at 4 or 5, the tractors at 8 and the boats at 9 or 10 o'clock. I know there was a Ferris wheel but I don't remember it too well. Probably it would be at 2 or 3 o'clock, out past the Airplane ride. Compiled by Neil Gale, Ph.D.
Brown Derby Park was opened sometime in the mid-1930s by Fred Pliscott, this small amusement park had three major rides, one was the wild and crazy "Lindy Loop[1]," and five kiddie rides, including a merry-go-round.
The Lindy Loop Ride (named for Charles Lindbergh) made by the Spillman Engineering Company in 1929.
The canopy-topped ride featured cars resembling old-fashioned sleighs mounted on crescent-style rails. Each car held two passengers facing each other. The "restraint" consisted of a single leather strap that hooked into a metal loop at one end of the seat. As the car moved over the track (similar to a Tilt-a-Whirl with peaks and dips), the car would slide freely along those runners. A pedal at the riders’ feet engaged a clutch to flip the car upside-down.
Looks Safe.
A modern version of "The Looper"
John Petro was Brown Derby Park's Ride and Concession Manager. The park had ten games of chance, a penny arcade, two refreshment stands, a shooting gallery, a dance pavilion, a theater pavilion, an athletic field, and a picnic area.
