The Amusement Park, Council Crest, Oregon
N 45° 29.948 W 122° 42.476
10T E 522818 N 5038441
An amusement park was located at this Portland geographic high point from 1909-1929.
Waymark Code: WM9NT7
Location: Oregon, United States
Date Posted: 09/10/2010
Views: 8
The sign reads:
"The Amusement Park
It's 1909. Wearing your Sunday best, you've packed a picnic lunch and taken the electric streetcar to the new amusement park atop Council Crest.
Climb the observation tower for a splendid panoramic view of the city. Peer down upon the miniature scenic railway snaking through the park. Just a hundred feet down the slope lies a full-sized sternwheel steamer. Its paddles drive the water current that carries rowboats along a flume called "A Trip Up the Columbia River." Flags fly above the carrousel. The shrieks of children on the roller coaster rise above the ten-piece band playing "The Stars and Stripes Forever".
It's 1909. The amusement park will close in 1929. This property and its broken-down structures will be acquired from the power company by the Portland Parks Bureau in 1937. Future generations will visit this vantage point to contemplate more quietly the works of mankind in nature."
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An amusement park that was once billed as "The Dreamland of the Northwest", was located on "Council Crest", which is a high knoll on the Southwest side of Portland, OR.
The park featured a roller coaster that was designed by La Marcus Adna Thompson, who was famous for his invention of gravity roller coasters. Other attractions were the dance pavillion, a Ferris Wheel, the observation tower and water flum that are mentioned in the history sign, and other smaller rides.
Council Crest has been considered the highest point in Portland at about 1073 feet.
Group that erected the marker: Portland City Parks
URL of a web site with more information about the history mentioned on the sign: [Web Link]
Address of where the marker is located. Approximate if necessary:
Council Crest/Fairmont Boulevard
Portland, Oregon USA
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