Excelsior Amusement Park
.jpg)
"The Cyclone"
|
|
| Location | Excelsior, Minnesota |
|---|---|
| Owner | Fred W. Pearce |
| Opened | 1925 |
| Closed | 1973 |
| Operating season | Memorial Day through Labor Day |
Excelsior Amusement Park was an Amusement Park located on Lake Minnetonka in the town of Excelsior, Minnesota. The park, which operated from 1925 to 1973, was a popular destination for company picnics and day trips from the Twin Cities.
Inspired by Coney Island, the park's main attractions included a wooden roller coaster called the Cyclone, a Ferris wheel, bumper cars, boat rides, a fun house, and a carousel. The fun house had a gunny sack slide, a spinning disc that hurled people into a padded sidewall and a turning barrel that was nearly impossible to walk through. The carousel, built by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company, was in service for the entire duration of the park and is still in use at Valleyfair Amusement Park in Shakopee. A second ride, the Scrambler, was also saved from destruction. Contrary to widespread belief, the Cyclone roller coaster was not relocated to Valleyfair and renamed High Roller. The Cyclone was scrapped, and High Roller was designed especially for the new park.
Excelsior Amusement Park opened in 1925 and was run by Fred W. Pearce, an established amusement park operator and roller coaster builder. A streetcar line from Minneapolis brought guests to the park from Memorial Day through Labor Day until the line was closed in 1932.
Excelsior Amusement Park was very popular in the 1940s and 1950s. During the 1960s the park became a hangout for Excelsior teens and attracted crowds of young people from around the Twin Cities. Several incidents occurred in the late 1960s, some with racial overtones, and the trouble contributed to the park's eventual decline.
...
Wikipedia