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The Chutes, Los Angeles, Cal.

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Identifier	clloy_161
Title	The Chutes, Los Angeles, Cal.
Creator	Unknown
Date Published	1903-1914
Subject (Topic)	Amusement rides--California--Los Angeles; Amusement parks--California--Los Angeles;
Subject (Name)	Shoot the Chutes (Los Angeles, Calif. : Amusement ride);
Subject (Place)	Chutes Park (Los Angeles, Calif.); Amusement park); Los Angeles (Calif.);
Type	image
Form/Genre	Postcards
Physical Description	1 postcard : Color ; 9 x 14 cm.
Institution	Department of Archives and Special Collections, Loyola Marymount University Library.
Collection Identifier	http://ark.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/kt9489r2nz
Country of Creation	DE
Copyright Status	public domain
Copyright Statement	http://library.lmu.edu/dlp/copyright.htm
Publisher	M. Reider
Place of Publication	Los Angeles, Cal.
Language	eng
Description	A view looking out towards the "Shoot the Chutes" ride at Washington Gardens, with spectators in the foreground and a large roller coaster on the left.
Historical Background	In 1887, D. V. Waldron purchased 35 acres on the southwest corner of Main and Washington Streets near downtown Los Angeles. He established a connection to the streetcar line in order to bring business to the area. Calling the park Washington Gardens, he built a small theater, dance pavilion, and meandering, tree-lined walkways, along with an ostrich farm. However, the park acquired a reputation as a haunt for disreputable characters, and the park fell into disrepair. Toward the end of 1899, the Los Angeles Improvement Company acquired a long-term lease on the property, changed the name to Chutes Park, and made plans to create an amusement park centered around Paul Boynton's Shoot the Chutes ride, in which boats would slide down a ramp into a small artificial lake. In 1900, The company built a baseball field, which was the home of the Angels baseball team until 1925. Other attractions included a merry-go-round, Japanese tea house, shooting gallery, bowling alleys, children's playground, daily hot air balloon rides, an animal enclosure, and other carnival-style entertainments. During 1903-1906, a steel-framed roller coaster was built next to the Shoot the Chutes ride. Still, the park did not do well financially, and in 1910 it was sold again, re-opening in 1911 under the name of Luna Park, after a similar facility at Coney Island. The new owners built more attractions aimed at children, but were still unable to make sufficient profits, and in 1912, it was sold again to a group who wanted to make it an attraction for African-American customers, but the park failed sometime before 1914, and never re-opened.
Publisher's Identifier	Publisher's serial number: No. 4240
Additional Notes	Made in Germany.
Metacollection Identifier	http://digitalcollections.lmu.edu
Source	Werner Von Boltenstern Postcard Collection