Detroit's Lost Amusement Parks

Arthur Gaulker, a successful real estate scion, gathered investors to create Electric Amusement Park in 1906. Gaulker's park was located near the Belle Isle Bridge just a few miles from downtown Detroit. Morris Wolff opened his Wolff's Park in 1906 directly across the street from Electric Park. Both parks spent lavishly and went bankrupt within a few years; however, other parks replaced them. By 1927, city officials had grown tired of the noise and widespread gambling, so they closed down the parks. Eastwood Park, Jefferson Beach Amusement Park, Edgewater Park, Walled Lake Park, and Bob Lo Park filled the void for years. Big bands got the parks through the Depression, multiple wars, and an onslaught of televised entertainment. However, costly fires, local opposition, and corporate competition became too much for the local parks, most of which were family-owned. Bob Lo Park, which closed in 1993, was the last to go out of business.

Author: Joseph McCauley
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing (SC)
Published: 05/15/2023
Pages: 128
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.70lbs
Size: 9.10h x 6.50w x 0.40d
ISBN13: 9781467109802
ISBN10: 1467109800
BISAC Categories:
- History | United States | State & Local | Midwest(IA,IL,IN,KS,MI,MN,MO
- Architecture | Buildings | Public, Commercial & Industrial
- Photography | Subjects & Themes | Historical