Wonderland Amusement Park (Indianapolis)

For other parks of the same name, see Wonderland Amusement Park.
Wonderland Amusement Park
Shoot the Chutes at Wonderland Amusement Park
LocationEast Washington and Gray Sts
Indianapolis, Indiana, United States
StatusDefunct
Opened1906
Closed1911

Wonderland Amusement Park (usually simply called Wonderland) was a trolley park that operated on the east side of Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, from 1906 to 1911. The park, near the intersection of East Washington Street and Gray Street, surrounded a lake and featured a Shoot-the-Chutes ride, a scenic railway ride, the signature 125-foot (38 m)-tall Electric Tower,[1] a ride that simulated the Johnstown Flood,[2] a dirigible ("Kann's War Air-Ship"),[3] a funhouse, a dance pavilion, and other exhibits and games in its 24 buildings.[4] In addition to the standing attractions, the park also offered live exhibits and performances from bands, acrobats, animal acts, vaudeville acts, and members of a "Filipino tribe", the "Igorrote."

Throughout its existence, Wonderland competed against the nearby Riverside Amusement Park to the west (in Riverside) and White City to the north (in Broad Ripple Park), with each park trying to top the other two with new attractions and activities each year. In 1909, Wonderland met local resistance when it announced its intentions to add a beer garden; when Wonderland management applied for a beer license, the Indianapolis Brewers Exchange was instrumental in obtaining the park's withdrawal of the application. In 1911, the park management started to operate a "Blind Tiger" establishment (one that sells alcohol without a license to do so); it was raided by the local police.[5] On August 27, 1911, Wonderland burned to the ground; the park was never rebuilt.[4][6]

  1. ^ Jeffrey Tenuth, Indianapolis: A Circle City History (Arcadia Publishing 2004) ISBN 0-7385-2462-X
  2. ^ Charlie Nye, editor Hoosier Century: 100 Years of Photographs from the Indianapolis Star and the Indianapolis News (Sports Publishing LLC 1999) ISBN 1-58261-237-4
  3. ^ W. C. Madden, Indianapolis in Vintage Postcards (Arcadia Publishing 2003) ISBN 0-7385-2321-6
  4. ^ a b David J. Bodenhamer and Robert Graham Barrows, The Encyclopedia of Indianapolis (Indiana University Press 1994) ISBN 0-253-31222-1
  5. ^ Near Eastside Timeline – The Polis Center
  6. ^ Near Eastside Narrative – The Polis Center