Riverview Park: The Amusement Park Chicago Still Misses
From 1904 to 1967, Riverview Park at Western and Belmont was Chicago's big amusement park, home of the Bobs and the Pair-O-Chutes. Its history, its rides, its ugly side, and why it closed.
For more than 60 years, summer in Chicago meant Riverview. The park at Western and Belmont drew generations of families until, almost suddenly, it was gone. Older Chicagoans still talk about it like an old friend.
Western and Belmont, 1904 to 1967
Riverview Park opened on July 2, 1904, at 3300 North Western Avenue, on the North Branch of the Chicago River. It grew into one of the biggest amusement parks in the country, spread over about 74 acres. Its slogan, "Laugh your troubles away," stuck in people's heads for decades.
The rides people remember
- The Bobs (1924–1967), a wooden roller coaster with a fierce reputation.
- The Pair-O-Chutes (1937–1967), a parachute drop ride you could see for blocks.
- Shoot the Chutes, the boat ride that ended with a big splash.
- Aladdin's Castle, the funhouse.
- The Flying Turns (1935–1967), a bobsled-style coaster.
The park's 1908 Philadelphia Toboggan carousel is the one major ride that survived. It still runs today, at Six Flags Over Georgia.
The ugly part of the story
Riverview also had a racist side. For years it ran a dunk tank attraction with an openly racist name, targeting Black performers. The NAACP and Chicago columnist Mike Royko campaigned against it, and it was shut down in the 1950s. Any honest history of the park includes that.
Why it closed
Riverview closed after the 1967 season; its last day was October 3, 1967. At the time, a Chicago Tribune article blamed violence. Later historians found little evidence for that, pointing instead to white flight and the changing city around the park. The Schmidt family, who owned it, sold the land for more than $6.8 million.
What's there now
The site is now Riverview Plaza shopping center, a Chicago Police detective division, DePaul College Prep, and Richard Clark Park along the river. There's little left to show it was ever there.
Still missed
Chicagoland lost more amusement parks after Riverview: Kiddieland, Old Chicago and others. See Kiddieland in Melrose Park. But for the generations who rode the Bobs, nothing ever replaced Riverview.
Source (1)
Photo: Entrance to Riverview Park (JJH).jpg) by unknown, Public domain.