Jantzen Beach Amusement Park

Jantzen Beach Amusement Park was a popular amusement park from 1928 to 1970 in Portland, Oregon, on Hayden Island in the middle of the Columbia River. "The Coney Island of the West" opened on May 26, 1928 as the largest amusement park in the nation, covering over 123 acres (0.50 km²) at the northern tip of Portland.

History

In 1927, William A. Logus and Leo F. Smith purchased 40 acres (160,000 m²) of land on Hayden Island from the Portland Electric Power Company. Logus and Smith headed the Hayden Island Amusement Company and they built an amusement resort and tourist park named Jantzen Beach Amusement Park for one of the park's investors, Carl Jantzen, of Jantzen swimsuit fame. The door opened to the public on May 26, 1928. It surpassed all attendance expectations; over 30 million people patronized the park through its 42 years.

On opening day, Saturday May 26, 1928, 15,000 people paid the $0.10 admission. The following day, 25,000 people came out to the park. The amusement park included a merry-go-round, fun house, Big Dipper roller coaster, Golden Canopy Ballroom, four swimming pools, a natatorium, 25 acres (100,000 m²) of picnic grounds, and 15 acres (61,000 m²) of parking.

The C.W. Parker merry-go-round, built in 1921, was moved to Jantzen Beach in 1927. Some of the hand carved horses were made by inmates of the United States Penitentiary in Leavenworth, Kansas. The amusement park's popularity peaked during the 1940s.

In the late 1950s, attendance declined while, unrelatedly, the commercial value of the land increased. The park closed on Labor Day, 1970. The pumping system from the swimming pools remains and is used to pump drinking water to residents of Hayden Island. The C.W. Parker Carousel is now at the Jantzen Beach SuperCenter, a shopping mall located on the grounds formerly occupied by the park.

Attractions

• Big Dipper - Wooden roller coaster (May 26, 1928-1969)
• Kiddie Dipper - Steel roller coaster (1947-1970)
• Golden Canopy Ballroom
• The C.W. Parker merry-go-round
• Natatori
• Picnic grounds
• Two robot circus criers, "Laffing Sal" and "Joe Barker"
• Venetian Canal ride
• Jantzen Beach Railway
• Fun House
• Elbow Room Restaurant
• Midway

References

• "The Coney Island of the West"—The Spectator, July, 1942 2006.
• "Jantzen Beach Amusement Park"—PDXHistory.com.
• "WHAT ALL PORTLAND HAS BEEN WAITING FOR - JANTZEN BEACH"—Oregon Journal, May 24, 1928

External links

• pdxHistory.com History of Jantzen Beach, collection of historic photos
• Center for Columbia River History